Shooting Seven Stars
by Fox the Writer
Summary: Star light, star bright, seven stars are seen tonight. But wish the heroes may, wish the heroes might, they must beware the power that is the Evil Emperor Zurg's future fight. When the universe falls apart and threatens to self ignite, there must be more than one set of heroes, new sparks to lead on the light. This is their beginning...
1. Author's Introduction

**Author's Note:**

*cue thematic music!*

Hi, I'm Fox-The-Writer!

Tonight I'm posting the first chapter of a brand new story I've had in development ever since January of last year and it's finally going to make its premiere here on this website! That story is, "Shooting Seven Stars". This story is part of a trilogy that focuses not only on the Space Rangers, but also on other heroes whom they will be encountering, and together they will be taking on a threat larger than any of them combined. I've actually been building up to this story through my other stories, including "Helping a Star Dog", "Joker of the Pack", and two unnamed stories I will be posting in due time once I get around to writing proper introductions for them. Consider those stories to be the prequels, as they are, to this trilogy.

Thus, this first installment of the trilogy follows up after "Joker of the Pack" (it's not a requirement to read that fanfic or the others, but I would suggest it to gain a better understanding of what's to come in the stories). So it goes without saying that this is going to be a crossover of some sorts and it will have OFCs in it.

And so, I will place a warning here: if you're not a fan of crossovers or OFCs, then feel free to move on and pass over this story. 'Tis alright. But no flames please! I want to keep this story entertaining for all.

But if you are curious about reading this story, and in the next two installments to come, then thank you for your time and interest and I hope you enjoy the ride!

I will also mention that I have taken some artistic liberties with the canon here, much like I did with the aforementioned stories. Thus, this, much like the other aforementioned fanfics, are basically going to be an alternate universe of some sorts where what's generally happened in the show has happened, and yet there are some artistic twists thrown in to split away from the main canon, like Pix joining the ranks as the first dog Ranger, for example. I'll also be including other sources of BLoSC, including my own headcanons, other fanfics, the video games, and the comics. And as mentioned, there will be other heroes who will be entering the BLoSC world and interacting with the characters, even causing the main cast to think and change beyond what they're normally used to. Likewise, some of the heroes the Rangers will be interacting with will also go through changes of their own. With the other sources of canon, I will also be taking artistic liberties with these canons in order to fit the interpretation I see fit for these installments.

I'd like to take the time to point out that with my trilogy, I'll be categorizing it in the BLoSC section of this site because most of the action takes place there and because BLoSC is really the starting and ending point of the whole series. There will be a major turning point by the end of the trilogy, but I'll save that for when we get there.

In fact, I won't go into great detail with what I want to do with this series because that would need another page of notes and I think it might be easier to make notes about the trilogy on my blog since there'd be a lot to talk about regarding each chapter, but I'll try not to ramble about every chapter too much. But when I reach the end of the trilogy, I will put up some of my personal notes about how this story came to be and the sources of inspiration I used to fire up my muse, why I wrote it the way I did, what I learned in my time writing these stories, and what my goals were.

I will say this though: I hope to paint a story with words to the best of my ability.

That said, considering that these stories are going to be some of the largest I've ever written, and because I have other commitments I need to attend both online and in real life, I will be slower than usual in updating this trilogy.

I give my heartfelt thanks to Cakeless Pixels, Magic Emperor, Maskerade and One Lucky Unicorn for their never-ending support and aid through my planning and enthusiasm for this story. You all ROCK. :)

On a final note...I dedicate this story and the two next stories to three amazing men who are no longer of this world: Mr. Darwyn Cooke, who passed away in 2014, Mr. John Glenn (who passed away last year in 2016), and the recently departed Mr. Robert Osborne. Darwyn Cooke was an artist in the world of comics and who illustrated the DC comic," _New Frontiers_ " and inspired my own dedication to pushing myself into new territories. John Glenn? I don't think I need to say who he was, but his heroic and exploits as an astronaut and beyond will never be forgotten. And Robert Osborne? He was the best host on the television channel, Turner Classic Movies, who brought forth a sense of magic to films and storytelling as a whole. Thank you gentlemen for bringing the human imagination closer to the stars.

And now, from the author who brought you "Friday the 13th", "The Cat's Surprise", and "Nostalgia", from the summer of June 2017, may I present the first of the three-parter...

"Shooting Seven Stars".

Disclaimer: I don't own Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. In the spirit of TCM, I'd like to give this trilogy a television rating of TV-14.


	2. Prologue: Something Red This Way Comes

_"Those who don't build must burn_." _-_ Ray Bradbury

* * *

 **Prologue: Something Red This Way Comes**

Up there, up there in the vastness of the canvas known as outer space, a fiery passion forever lurks among the silvery shimmering stars, high above that which is known to sentience wherever it may reside. In between the swirling brush strokes of galaxies and nebulae, individual splashes of color highlight and mark the births, deaths and rebirths of tangible thoughts, dreams, fears-life itself. Each stroke collectively brings forth shapes and names to these tangible notions—existing beyond space, time and reality.

But these notions, however tangible they may appear in the grand design of the universal painting, conceal themselves in invisible methods, shielding themselves from outsiders and the blind. Their true forms may leave themselves open to interpretation, opening the door to the imagination for every life form that exists out in the universe.

It is no easy task, for the universe has its own set of rules and complexities that can elude the conscious no matter how obvious these concepts may appear. However, those who have found a way to connect to the silent and serene beauty beyond the earthly plane are bestowed this passion and have come to a higher understanding of the universe, bringing back messages from the great beyond to improve, heal and educate their peers.

But there are some who struggle and grapple with the universe's rule in great impatience or disgust, in one world or the next. For that, they will do anything to align the stars to their own courses to search for whatever secrets are beheld behind reality, space and time…

…Even resort to repainting the universe's canvas.

* * *

It was a blue night on the planet.

As if in an orchestra, the gibbous moon led the stars in a concerto, their lights glistening innocently high above the scarce landscape by their conductor's command. No life but the howling wind could be heard through the rustling trees, a warm breeze signaling the end of a season. Towering infrastructures, normally shining and awake in the daytime, stood silently in slumber. All of the windows built in the skyscrapers and towers, save a few windows bathed in gold, mirrored the blackened night sky. Nearby, a clock tower struck eleven times, one hour before midnight.

All appeared peaceful in the night.

But the darkness was not always what it seemed.

For after the clock struck its final chime, an armored operative glided invisibly through the darkness, their flight pattern swift, sure and still. Only the humming from their jet pack could be heard through the night air and simply mistaken for a pedestrian out for a night flight or a protector overseeing everything on patrol. They flew, weaving to and fro past buildings as quickly as they could to avoid any curious or suspicious eyes.

They had a destination in mind and a goal to achieve.

Eventually, after a few moments of flying in the stars, they made it to their desired location.

That location took them to a building, no taller than its skyscraper kin, but no less magnificent in architecture and story. Its outward granite appearance was a marvel in itself. White Corinthian pillars held the weight of the portico that served as the gateway at the top of the large staircase. Two stone warriors statues of unknown species and grand statures watched over all at the bottom on short stone blocks, as if permitting entrance to visitors. The statues held two objects of great significance in their hands. A spear gripped in one hand and a star-like object floating in the other hand. At the top of the staircase, a pair of double glass doors served as the main doorway.

Landing in front of the building's threshold, they deactivated their jet pack, the humming slowly dying down. The wings attached the to the jet pack folded up, storing themselves away until the next time they were needed.

Their eyes darted right to left and then down and up.

They found, to their amusement, a surveillance camera slowly rotating and staring at everything with its glass hawk eye. They smirked; like that was going to stop them?

Stepping out of the camera's eyesight before it could even spot them, they stood under it. They then pulled out a round, yellow and tick-shaped object, small as a fly. Giving it a nasty grin, they threw the device at the camera. The device latched onto the camera and sank its short and tiny fangs into it. A spark ignited and the camera began sizzling and creating electricity. The blue electricity danced for a brief moment and then as fast as it came, it went away fleetingly. Its power was potent enough to send the camera into smoke, rendering it blind and lifeless.

Now it was time to get to work.

The perpetrator went back to the threshold. Using a long set of claws, they latched onto one of the glass doors and began spinning their claws within the glass. Around and around did they spin and create another small electrical storm. Sparks swayed to and fro, back and forth. A sharp stop later, the glass was cut.

Objective one complete.

* * *

A crash of glass, and just as they suspected, a guard was on the way to investigate.

After slipping inside, they crawled to the shadows. Just in time too.

The guard, a robot, flashed its innate headlight all over the broken glass on the floor. Searching for any clues, any suspects it could find.

They found one. But at a price.

They stiffened as they felt a small but effective bite in the neck. They froze in place as they watched sparks flicker before their eyes.

In their final moments, they could have sworn they saw a white starship coming for them. It was a blissful sight to witness.

But in the waking world, the last thing they saw before they gave into the darkness was a pair of eyes, red and emotionless in the moonlight, gleaming down at them.

The robot was no more.

Objective two complete.

* * *

The figure crawled back to the shadows. As before, they looked right to left and then down and up. This time, the coast was clear.

They carefully moved like a big cat stalking its prey and as they did, they adjusted themselves to their newfound surroundings. The building's exterior size matched the interior's greatness. Tall and cream-colored pillars also dominated the inside, bearing the weight of the roofs. Golden painted wreaths curled around the pillars up to the very top, and in between pillars and on the white walls, hung beautifully colorful, woven tapestries portraying stories of various figures. Displayed below the large tapestries were assorted objects encased within glass displays, as if to act as supporting players displayed in the woven plays. But beside the glass displays, protected by silver stanchions to give a respectful space for the objects and curiosity for the outsiders, sat wooden crates; many of them were opened and contained tangled foam peanuts, and the others were completely closed. But all of them bore the building's name and address in black and bold print.

Resisting the urge to scoff in disgust, the figure simply rolled their eyes. What a shallow waste of space.

Keeping close to the walls, and using the soft moonlight painting the room with stained glass windows as their guide, they moved on through the room, an expansive Colosseum-sized room. It seemed to stretch for hours as their steps carried them, echoing through the room as the only source of sound.

They prowled deeper and deeper into the room, wary and on alert for any alarms of any kind. No one else was here but them. It wasn't exactly a large shocker to them, given that security was lax around these parts.

And yet... they felt strange. There was no one here save them, and the room was empty as a grave save for the objects. But the figure had a distinct feeling they were being fiercely watched. But by whom? Or what?

As far as they could tell, there were no other surveillance cameras watching everything, no other guards to play with, no other dangers they needed to look out for.

 _"Heh. Probably just nerves."_ They then dismissed these senses and refocused on the mission. The mission was going very well and it would stay that way. If they didn't know any better, they could have sworn that this was cheating.

That was fine. It was the way they liked it.

Finally, after what seemed like infinity, they found what they were looking for.

A large set of white curtains closing off another entryway to a room of some sorts, the entryway clothed in blackness.

Objective three complete.

* * *

They pulled aside the curtains and when they stepped inside the room...there it was.

Sitting on a short pillar, surrounded by red stanchions and standing underneath the only moonlit window in the entire room, was a relatively small and well-preserved marquise-shaped diamond. Its multifaceted surface reflected a pale golden in the moonlight. The diamond sat on a small velvet pillow and shielded with a glass dome, protecting it from damage and greed. There was a card sitting on a rack in front of the gem. On the card, there was a name and its vague description in clear but tiny black font. It read:

 _The Eye of the Sun, circa Sandakisian era. Creator unknown._

The goal of the assignment.

The figure scanned the area. There were no other shiny objects lying around, but there were more closed crates. And the guardians of this empty room.

Alarm sensors stitched into random areas in the walls.

The diamond was obviously meant to be the center of attention in this room, whatever this new room was going to be used for.

And that undoubtably meant there would be drastic security measures put into place, ones that required no guards or cameras.

No sweat; they had a few tricks up their own sleeves.

As if by magic, they produced a small spray can. Its nozzle was pressed, and the can sprayed out a clear mist. The mist hovered like a ghost, slowly floating and haunting. The mist eventually evaporated, but it left behind a warning.

Red beams. Red laser beams once rendered invisible were now visible to the naked eye. They radiated from the alarm sensors, surrounding the pillar, with two blocking off one path and another two blocked another path.

Knowing now how to avoid the beams, the figure retracted the spray can and pull out a grappling hook in its place. They lied down, carefully avoiding the beams. They aimed the hook at the pillar's bottom and fired. With accuracy, it hit its mark and gripped on. The hook reeled them in like a fish out of water. Slowly.

Ever so slowly to avoid accidentally touching the lowest beam that nearly hit the floor.

They approached the beam.

A steady breath was taken to keep calm and prepare themselves for what they were to do next.

Like a serpent, they hugged their body deep to the floor as they could possibly muster while the hook did the work.

Slowly did they move, trying to avoid touching the beam of difficulty. They saw the beam pass over them, barely missing them by a nose. Literally.

Closer the hook pulled them in towards the goal.

Closer.

Objective four complete.

* * *

That was difficult, but now was the easy part. Easy and rewarding.

They slowly stood up from the floor, stood in between the laser and one set of the stanchions, and retracted their hook.

They stared at the diamond for some time, marveling over its incredible appearance. It really was a fine diamond, with its well-crafted design and translucency. But as much as they admired its beauty and mystery, they couldn't have it for themselves. They had a client waiting for this gemstone for some time and they weren't about to disappoint them now.

But there was something puzzling them about this assignment. Why did their client wanted the diamond? That was a mystery all its own, especially since the information on the card didn't seem to offer much on the fine gem other than its name and what era it originated from. Plus, the client didn't exactly give a motive for them to obtain the gem. All that they were told was that the client wanted the gem for a special reason. What kind of reason would that entail?

For a personal sign of victory or power? More than likely. That was what a diamond usually represented. It couldn't have just been for a new interest in collecting gemstones.

Well, no matter. They would find out why their client sought after this specific precious stone eventually. That mystery could wait for now.

With no further delay, they proceeded on to remove the gemstone from the glass dome. Using the same pair of claws from before, they injected their claws into the class and spun it around and around until a circle was made. Once complete, they pulled out the circle and set the glass asides.

They carefully leaned over the railings, and beams, reached out a hand...

And made a grab for the diamond.

Success.

Sweet and easy success.

They lifted up the diamond from its place, opened up a large compartment in their belt and carefully placed it inside the pocket for safekeeping. Thank the stars above it was small enough to fit.

Now it was time to get out of here.

But going back through the lasers and back into that creepy room? Too tedious and they didn't feel like going back all that way just to walk out the entrance. Besides, there was another way out of this room.

And that window above the pillar would provide a perfect escape route. They stared into the window above their head for a minute, as if contemplating the moon that shone over the building and the figure.

They pulled out another gadget to aid them in their escape: a laser of their own.

A plasma one.

They aimed and fired.

The window decimated into a pile of rubble and glass. The broken pieces descended downwards towards the ground. But the figure was protected from the debris of architecture and glass and so didn't waste time leaping out of the debris' way like a frog. In fact, they were already on their way out before the alarm sensors could even trigger a response.

Leaping into the air, they sprouted their wings from their jet pack through the new manmade hole that was in place of the window. Bursting out of the hole like a bullet out of a rifle, they made it outside with their prize intact.

Down below, the alarms whined loudly, alerting the personnel of the building of the recent theft.

But the thief would be long gone before any other robot guardian, if there was one, could show up to stop them.

That was when a blue burst of energy struck them in the chest.

It knocked the wind out of them, sending them spiraling backwards towards the building's roof. They landed on their back with a great big thud.

Temporarily dazed, they shook their head to clear out the stars in their vision. Once their vision was cleared, they hopped back onto their feet and took on a battle pose, determined to protect the diamond at all costs.

For the first time since they entered the building, the thief spoke.

In gruff irritation, they snapped, "Alright, who's out there?! Come on out and show yourself!"

And they did.

A pair of white glowing eyes stared at the thief in righteous fury. Entirely cloaked in some humble and dark-colored hooded robe, the pair of glowing eyes kept close to the rooftop's edges.

The thief narrowed their eyes. Apparently whoever came close to blasting them out of the troposphere was perfectly content to keep their distance and secretive.

Whatever. They'd be space dust in a micro second. The figure pulled out their plasma laser once more, targeting the stranger.

The stranger pulled out a weapon of their own.

A toothy and amused smirk worked its way onto the thief's face, even though the other person couldn't see it. "You've got to be kidding. You're gonna go the old-school method? A simple staff? Fine. But you'll be going down in a flash." Just to make their point clear, they fired a few rounds of red energy at the stranger.

But their opponent proved them wrong. They dodged the blasts with the greatest of ease, and in turn, they attempted to whack the thief on the head.

The thief evaded the robed fighter's advance and took off to the skies again. They lazily leaned on their back with their arms tucked behind their crown, taunting the earthbound fighter. "What's the matter, my friend? You short of a few wingspans?"

Undeterred, the silent stranger crouched down...and jumped high into the air like a spring! They jumped higher and higher into the air, catching their opponent off-guard.

And another whack was given from the stranger, and this time, it made its mark.

It sent the airborne figure into a daze again. The force of the staff sent their head spinning around in unison with another whirlpool of stars.

But they recovered quickly enough to grab the robed fighter by the wrist and hurl them downwards towards the ground.

The robed figure landed roughly on their feet and looked upwards, just in time to see their opponent firing another round at them. They ran across the rooftop, avoiding the laser blasts with ease again. Once they avoided the attacks, they attempted to jump high and hit their opponent again, but the thief sidestepped them and tried to deliver a punch to the face.

But the cloaked warrior blocked off the attempt and aimed a kick in the stomach before they descended again. The thief shot at the robed fighter's arm.

They smirked.

This time they hit the stranger.

The robed one yelled, fell down and dropped the staff.

Taking the hit as a victory, the thief also took it as a break, not for relaxation, but for a quick study of their new playmate.

Whatever reason they had for using a staff as a weapon instead of a plasma cannon or a laser gun, especially during these times of up and coming new advances in weaponry, they were good with that staff. They couldn't fly (although that was hard to tell with that rag they were wearing), but they were nimble enough to jump up to incredible heights.

With all their skills, they could have been good enough to be part of the Space Ranger Corps, but this was no Ranger working undercover for the good of the galaxy. It was probably some rogue crime fighter wanna-be desperate to have some piece of the action that the Rangers normally received, or maybe it was a greedy robber, which was a rarity around these metropolitan parts. Definitely one or the other.

The robed one, although they temporally groaned in pain at the laser mark's burn, managed to get up, pick up their staff and stare up into the thief's eyes in defiance. Their eyes flashed a warning as they held up their staff in self-defense.

Snapping out of their observations, the figure growled, already tiring of this game. Both parties poised themselves for another battle. The airborne figure with the laser blasts, the robed warrior with the staff.

Just as they were about to make their moves...

A familiar sound of jet packs could be heard in the distance. Both parties turned their heads at the source and then turned back to one another.

The Space Rangers were coming!

The thief made the first move. "Well, I don't know about you, but I don't have time to stick around. We'll finish this later, creep. Until then, see ya!" Using another gadget, they pulled out what looked to be another small object. This time, it was a red ball-shaped object.

They tossed it onto the ground and it exploded in a flash of smoky haze and they managed to escape into the night with precious stone in hand.

Final objective complete.

* * *

The smoke confused the robed fighter, causing them to cough and lose their sense of surroundings.

But once the smoke cleared, they recovered and saw they were alone. They would have stayed there had it not been for the advancing jet pack whines. Bearing the pain from their opponent's attack, they disappeared, not wanting to run into the galactic heroes of the galaxy themselves.

For the first time since they appeared out of nowhere, the robed figure vowed with the solemn tone of a witness testifying in court. "Indeed we will, agent. We will."

Their eyes flashed a furious and dead white as the ghostly moon.

Their primary objective: find the diamond and fast... and in the meantime, make sure nothing went wrong for tomorrow.

Then the clock tower in the far distance chimed midnight.

* * *

The thief could also hear the clock strike its final chord, but they paid no heed to it.

They shot past the moon's silvery face and soared higher and higher into the night sky as they broke though the troposphere. Then they passed time and entered the thermosphere. Finally, they reached outer space's edge. All was quiet up there; nothing but their jet pack's hum could be heard. Now it was time to chart a new star path and head for a new destination.

It was a good thing that their jet pack had enough juice to get them there. They'd need to refuel after this particular trip. But they weren't in any rush; they completed their task in one fell swoop.

...Well, not exactly in one swoop, but that wouldn't exactly look good on paper or to their client. Nonetheless, it was a success and they felt proud of a job well done. More importantly, they would get to find out what the deal was behind the precious Eye of the Sun.

Speaking of the sun, a yellow light reflected off their helmet visor.

They glanced over their shoulder to see what was making that light, and lo.

There was the sun peeking from the planet's horizon.

Sunrise would arrive to the planet's borders in a matter of hours.

And a new day would dawn, for their client and for everybody else. Not that the new day would make any difference for the thief. To them, a day was a day, just as a job was a job. One day, or task, ends and another begins. And as long as they were richly rewarded for their efforts, then their day was complete no matter what the hours dictated. But how richly they'd be rewarded was another matter entirely. It would depend on how generous their client was feeling. With any luck, the diamond was sure to influence the client's decision.

Now more determined than ever to claim their prize, the thief jettisoned further and further into space, their perseverance and greed rising. But the greed could take a backseat and be satisfied, for encroaching in the distance...

" _There it is._ "

Camouflaging into space's cooler colored backdrop, a large and bullet-shaped vessel floated, hovering not too far off from the planet but not too up close and personal either. Its shark-like fins attached to its metallic purple sides seemed sharp enough to cut through space and anything else in its path. Although the ship clocked itself well, a small and dimly lit feature stood out on top of the ship, around where the cockpit was located.

A glowing pale yellow 'Z'.

Homebase. Now it was time for the star player to slide and make a home run.

* * *

The motion of gravity kicked in, a smooth contrast to the outside weightlessness of space's blanket.

The metal doors slammed from behind them after they entered the ship's belly. Once they made it inside, they folded up their wings, tucking them back inside their jet pack. They scanned the area, as if to assure themselves that they were indeed alone and safe from the outside's dangers. It was strange; the darkness outside wasn't safe and yet the darkness inside the ship, asides from the few muted red lights from the outside and out, was comforting. If only by a moment.

Only their own footsteps could be heard within earshot as they began to move.

"Stop!"

Or at least it should have been that way had something, or some things, not blocked their path.

Bugs.

Bugs called Grubs.

Several aquamarine-skinned insectoids, no higher than a few feet in length, appeared from the room's black corners and scurried over to the incomer.

The thief growled at this and groaned, "What is it?" The last thing they wanted to do right now was engage in pointless conversation when there were more important tasks to be done!

In their blood red uniforms, which would have covered them in complete red from head to toe had it not been for their blue hoods and boots, they came to a stop in front of the incomer. They stared up at them with their large dark green eyes, which would have made the nearest bug enthusiast squealing with joy and excitement. Attached to their uniforms were 'Z' trademarked ear caps, branding them under one household name. With a twitch of their twin pair of antennae, one of the Grubs spoke in a raspy and almost sickly way, "Our evil emperor is waiting for you and he has another assignment ready, sir."

So much for being rewarded heavily for his deeds. "What a complete shocker. So where is he?"

"He's at the bridge. But I should warn ya, he's been looking over his evil plans and notes all night and won't want to talk long."

That raised some interest from the thief, raising him from his gloomy mood a little. "Oh? He's been goin' over those notes _again_? Have you been able to figure out what evil scheme he's come up with this time?"

The Grub shook his head, much to the thief's disappointment. "He's been keeping us in the dark about it. He just wants us to do our jobs, and every time any of us makes a mistake or fail somehow-"

"He yells at ya if it's related to that plan or he just shrugs it off if it's not and goes back to whatever he was doin', I know. It's happened with me too." He crossed his arms as he frowned from behind the iron mask he was wearing. "It's weird... it's not like him to shrug off small things like that when he's busy trying to rule the universe and run his business..."

He stared off into the red glow of the light in a rare moment of thought before turning back to the little workers, deciding to get on with his job. "But hey, as long as we don't get atomized for it, who cares, huh? I won't question it. It makes my life a _lot_ easier. So I wouldn't sweat it, _pequeñines_."

After all, everybody has their off-days. Maybe their employer was having one of those and it wasn't like this was the first time they were acting odd during the brainstorming process. He shrugged before releasing his interwoven arms.

"Now if you'll all excuse me from our water cooler chat, I've got an evil emperor to meet, a diamond to deliver, and some cash to collect... I hope."

"One more thing!"

His irritation grew again. " _Yes_?"

"...You might want to get out of that armor you're wearing. If he sees you in that armor, he'll disintegrate you on the spot. He _hates_ seeing that uniform here."

Behind the mask, he raised a brow but thought nothing more of it. "Fine... I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

He ventured further into the belly of the hollow whale, their footsteps the only source of sound again. Clank, clank, clank did his footsteps move, against the metal floor. His feet carried him through the interiors, passing through hallways of large proportions but of even larger vacancy. The deep midnight blue walls, bordering on a deep purple color, seemed to expand the room's length and height, with red lines painted on the walls for both guidance and decorative purposes. The same was true for the yellow and black dividers that held themselves in place at the walls' foundations; they would act as guides for those lost in the dark when the lights were dimmed, which was not surprising, given the emperor loved darker colors.

The largest indicator of decor, however, was the large and familiar 'Z' shape. Branded many times in many sections of the walls, they all served as reminders about who was the absolute ruler of this ship and crew.

It was enough to make one of faint heart feel tiny and insignificant, but the thief was not one of them. He had gotten used to the imposing air long ago when he started working for the emperor.

He kept on going through.

Occasionally he would run into another Grub or another one of the species working for the emperor, the deep purple-encased Brain Pods.

Their mechanical bodies carried around the 'brains' in special glass cases while their own bodies, made of pink flesh, were entombed and protected by the encasing. Moving around on a trio of wheels, the Brain Pods' long and dark gray arms moved to and fro tapping on clipboards and gadgets and other products needed for their assigned tasks. Usually they worked within the scientific and mechanical sections of the emperor's work force. They could easily identified and told apart by the numbers branded on their backs.

Upon seeing one of them, the thief pulled them over.

"Hey, 14! What's the word?"

"Hm?" The Brain Pod in question stopped in place and looked up from reading some paperwork. It took him a second to realize whom he was addressing. "O-oh, hello! What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to know, have you or anybody else had any luck with findin' out what the big Z's up to with his latest grand master plan?"

But much to the thief's dismay again, 14 shook his head. "No, we haven't. He's been keeping his plans away from prying eyes. It's been like this all night; unless we make a mistake on something related to his scheme, he leaves us alone to do our work and doesn't bat an eye to anything else. Oh, and in case you weren't warned, you'd better change out of that armor. He doesn't want-"

"To see me in it, I get it! I don't know why I had to be told that twice, but fine, I'll remember that. Craters... " He sighed before switching topics. "So you Braid Pods haven't been able to figure out anything from what he's been planning, huh?"

14 fiddled with his papers in hesitation."Well... there is ONE thing we've found out."

"Really? Well, what is it?"

But just as 14 was ready to spill the beans, a foghorn blared through the halls over an intercom.

" _AGENT Z! I KNOW YOU'RE ON THE SHIP. I WANT YOU AND THAT DIAMOND ON THE BRIDGE **NOW**!"_

Both 14 and the agent shared knowing and slightly fearful glances.

Agent Z hastily said, "Uh... we'll talk about this later. Gotta go!"

14 watched him sprint as if he were trying out for the Galactic Games, aiming to achieve a gold medal. The Brain Pod sighed in concern. "I hope we can, for your sake, my sake and everyone else's. If not, then the Evil Emperor Zurg is going to have another victim on his hands."

* * *

 **A/N:**

Translations:

 _Pequeñines_ : 'little ones' in Spanish.


	3. Chapter 1: What The Star Voyagers Saw

**Chapter One: What The Star Voyagers Saw**

 **A/N:** I wanted to give a warning here; this chapter, and possibly with many other chapters of this trilogy, will be longer than I usually write. It's not a million words, but I still want to give a head's up for when folks read this chapter. Take your time in reading!

* * *

He ran past Grubs and Brain Pods and more 'Z' branded walls. And those who had the chance to greet him as he passed by observed all one thing about his hurry; he was motivated.

Motivated by either dread or greed was one's pick, but to him it was both. But he'd get something good out of it once Zurg was pleased with his success.

That was his wish anyway.

In what would normally have taken a few minutes to reach the bridge ended in a few seconds. No sooner did he reach the main bridge that he made his presence known. "I'm here, Evil Emperor Zurg! And I've got the diamond just like you ordered."

But the emperor had his back to him. Sitting high above in his elevated dark silver chair, the emperor was overseeing the whole platform. Grubs sat at their small chairs, typing and working to the bone at their monitors. Brain Pods wheeled past them as they went about with their own tasks to be done. Three rectangular windows ran horizontally across to give all in the bridge unique views of the outside. The whole bridge was, like most of the ship, dimly lit with only a few soft red lights for bitter comfort. Not that it could give anybody who was terrified of the emperor any sort of solace, but it was better than not being able to see anything at all in this corner of the ship.

The agent waited for his boss to acknowledge his presence. But he didn't have to wait long.

The chair creaked and slowly turned around to face the agent.

Creaking.

Creaking.

It came to a slow stop, and Agent Z came face-to-face with the Evil Emperor Zurg...not that he wanted to look at him square in the eye.

And with good reason. Sitting in the chair was a tall creature cloaked in a royal purple robe, covering him from head to toe. Striking imperial red eyes pierced through the hearts of anyone who didn't have the courage to stare right back at him. They were so piercing that they could literally kill, thanks to his ability to shoot lasers from his eyes. Equally striking and seeming to be eternally stuck in a scowl were his neon green teeth, glowering at everyone and everything. Two dark grey horns sat on top of his purple head, as foreboding as his sharper gauntlets. His fingers were lean and clawed, pointed enough to scratch someone's eye out. The largest indicator that this was the emperor Zurg himself was a smaller version of the 'Z' emblem imprinted into his chest plate and black cape, the latter starting its flow from his chest and trailing behind him.

At first, Zurg remained immobile and unemotional, barely moving a muscle or a finger. In fact, he didn't say anything at all.

Instead, he threw Agent Z a stink eye, slowly looking over him like a scientist deciding how to dissect his experiment.

He lifted up his fingers and tapped them together as he stared down at his agent in dead silence.

The only thing the agent could do to not gulp in agitation was keep thinking about the reward.

"Hmm... Warp Darkmatter!"

The agent straightened up as his boss finally said something, his deep tone reverberating across the room. He pressed a button on his chair arm console, bringing the chair down to the floor and down to eye level with the agent. Once it stopped, the emperor stood straight up out of his chair and walked out of it. He folded his arms behind him as he continued to stare into Warp's soul.

"Let me ask you something. Have you missed my calling you Agent Z?"

Warp blinked. "Uhh... I'm mostly indifferent to it now. Why?"

"Hmm. So then I'm free to ask the 'why' here; why have you changed outfits?"

"...Outfits?"

"Yes, outfits. Why have you chosen _this_ particular one you're wearing?" With a snap of his fingers, two Grubs instantly appeared before emperor and agent with a large full length mirror. The two Grubs set the mirror right in front of the agent, reflecting his appearance back at him.

The agent's black and deep blue armor somehow blended into the room's darkness yet stood out brightly at the same time. The armor was a strange marriage of bulk and sleekness; the armor around his arms and legs seemed to exaggerate his physical strength while the armor covering his head, chest and torso streamlined his fit physique. Staring right back at him were his own red pupils, peering through his bucket-like helmet and visor. Equally large blue gauntlets held themselves into tense fists.

But one of the fists would unclench themselves and go on to pull off the visor and reveal himself. Underneath that cast iron mask was his true form. A tall, periwinkle-skinned athlete of a human/Saphiran stood in place. Looking at himself through black eyes, Warp couldn't help but smirk in admiration of himself in the mirror.

"If I can say so myself, I chose this outfit because it looked good on me."

"Hmph." The mirror was pushed asides, taking the yelping Grubs along for the ride. The emperor was right in the agent's face again. "The only thing that looks good on you is your mug shot. Now tell me the real reason, why did you wear this armor to complete your task?"

"So sue me, I found it in the storage facility! I wanted to wear something that wouldn't let Lightyear and the rest of Star Command know I was there! Besides, I got the diamond, so what difference does it make?!" What the Helene was Zurg getting at here?

Zurg raised a steel-plated brow. "Normally, it would make all the difference because if I had any reason to care about that armor, you would have been incinerated on the spot. You see, that armor you found once belonged to Buzz Lightyear."

"...Lightyear?"

"Yes, Buzz Lightyear. The Pride of Star Command. If you must know, and you should since you've obviously missed a lot, he posed as the most 'dangerous' and 'infamous' bounty hunter in the galaxy. Or so he proclaimed. Lightyear used this disguise to shuffle away traitorous Grubs and Brain Pods while lying about vaporizing them into nothing." He crossed his arms and sighed in regret. "I used to be so angry at the very mention of him... but _no more_. He might have fooled me so many times in the past, but I'm going to make sure he'll _never_ do it again.

"In fact, the plan I have in mind, which NO one can know just yet," he eyed Warp sternly, "will be the ultimate endgame to end all games between me and Star Command."

Warp rolled his eyes and folded his own arms. "Suuuuure, that's what you said the past 3,257 times when you've gone up against them. What makes you think that _this_ plan is going to work?"

"Darkmatter, Darkmatter, Darkmatter." The emperor was shaking his head. "One of these days, that cynicism of yours is going to get you killed. You should try being a little optimistic for once."

Warp scowled. "Hey, I don't need any lectures on how to improve my outlook on life. Why won't you cut to the chase and tell me what this is all about?"

Suddenly, Warp wished he hadn't said that. Zurg was right up in his face, red eyes flaring with fury. "BECAUSE OF ONE SIMPLE THING, DARKMATTER! THIS PLAN HAS TAKEN ME PAST THE LIMIT!..." Much to Warp's relief, the big guy began to back off and simmer down...slightly. "...And all you need to know this that this is a special plan that has encouraged me to push myself to think outside _so_ many boxes. A plan like this requires the most careful planning and secrecy. I'm not going to tell you or _anyone else_ until the time is right because of that!

Speaking of which... you haven't forgotten about that diamond, have you? I need it very soon for the next part of the plan!"

"Uh... no. No, I haven't forgotten about it. It's right here." Warp reached down into his pocket compartment from their belt, opened it and gently pulled out the Eye of the Sun. "Here it is-!" Faster than he saw coming, Zurg snatched the diamond out of Warp's hand, cupping it in both sets of claws.

Zurg chortled with glee as he gazed with greed over the diamond. He held it up high before him, as if in worship. "Finally! Phase one shall be complete soon." He took a glance over at his number one agent, who was eyeing the diamond with an unhealthy admiration. Zurg frowned and cleared his throat to get the agent's attention. He placed his arms behind him with the diamond hidden and still intact, keeping it out of Warp's grasp.

"Now then, I assume you know by now that I have another assignment ready for you, Darkmatter?"

No longer distracted (sadly) by the glittering eye, Warp crossed his arms and glared skeptically. "I've heard. But what about the reward we talked about? I kinda want it now-"

"Yes, yes, yes, Darkmatter, you'll get it."

"...And I'll need to refuel my jet pack-"

"Yes, yes, yes, you can have that done too! All I ask..." The corners of his eternal frown seemed to tug upwards and resemble a smirk, to which made Warp feel uneasy. "...is for you to have patience, do what I say and do not, and I fully repeat NOT, question what my plan is. I will not reveal what it is to you until the time comes. And when it does, you will know. Do you understand me?"

Patience... patience?... Zurg wasn't the type to preach, or even practice, patience. Even the pointed brow and somewhat relaxed look in his eye seemed out of place for someone who usually held a snippy and testy air.

Craters, that Grub Warp talked to earlier wasn't kidding about the big guy's determination to maintain his silence. That was going to make things difficult, unfortunately for Warp's curiosity, and the curiosities of the Brain Pods and Grubs.

But that didn't mean he'd let it go so easily. He'd just have to find a creative way to find out Zurg's Grand Master Plan. For now, though...

"...Uh...sure. Alright, sure, I understand..."

"Good! Now then, you'll find your reward on your moon. Go on and claim your prize and refuel. But you should know that later on," Zurg held up a hand to stop Warp from saying a word, "You will be briefly informed of your next assignment."

"...I assume I won't get some kind of hint as to what the next assignment is?"

Zurg grew a sinister grin. "Of course not. That'd spoil the fun I have planned. Now then, off you go!" He shooed off Warp with a wave of his hand like a teacher sending a student away from class. "Oh, and one more thing; get out of that outfit and back into your Agent Z one. The blue looks terrible on you."

For some time, Warp stared at his boss with an unreadable look, and then he left.

Once that business was taken cared of, he snapped to his workers, "Grubs!"

"Yes, O Evil One!"

"Set new coordinates on my mark! It's time to make another pit stop and start the second phase of my plan."

Zurg pulled out the diamond again, admiring its cleverly crafted beauty once more.

And he chuckled again, sending shivers down the spines of all his workers.

* * *

Back on the planet down below, far away from Zurg's spacecraft and moment of plotting, the clock tower gently struck one o'clock, much to the bliss of those who slept through it and to the irritation of those who were up at the ungodly hour.

And the alert set of eyes of one team in particular.

Flying overhead in the night sky, a team of armored warriors approached the building, their jet packs humming out streams of fuel exhaust. All of them wore the same type of armor: its color was a pure snow white, with dashes of bright green and eminence added in as secondary colors on various points of their suits. On every one of their chest plates, they each had a unique emblem stamped on-a pair of light blue wings inside a deep blue diamond, each with their own details featured in depending on what rank and position the officer held in the team, like rockets or spiked wings. It was the official entrance of the Space Rangers.

Upon arriving near the building's entryway, each of them descended down from their flight gracefully. They retracted their long plane-like wings back into their jet packs as soon as their feet touched earth.

Immediately, they were struck by their first clue; a perfectly well-cut hole within one of the glass doors. One of the Rangers stepped up to the door to inspect it more closely. Squatting down onto her feet, she scouted around the hole, carefully touching it. Then her eyes rested dead ahead, but not on the hole, but what lied beyond it.

"What is it, Doris?"

The Vanoran peered over her shoulder, her stern eyes as blue as her fin-like hair. "A fallen Guard-Bot, Captain."

The aforementioned captain ordered, "Check it out. In the meantime, team, let's head inside and look for clues. Anybody find anything, holler. Got that?"

The team all collectively responded back, "Yes, sir."

They went inside.

* * *

Only the faint glittering of the golden wreaths on the pillars could illuminate the Rangers' way, but even that was not enough to shed light for the team.

"Sweet Mother of Venus, it's pitch black in here. Somebody get the lights!"

"Way ahead of you!" A flash of yellow light burst through the darkness, shooing away the dark and opening up new paths for the team to embark on. Another Ranger followed suit, unleashing another source of light. Immediately, the place seemed larger and more welcoming.

After blinking and adjusting to the changes, the captain complimented, "Alright, Tundra! Good thinking on bringing out your flashlight. And as for you Sprocket... not bad, kiddo."

Both Rangers, one a female light-skinned human and the other a male dark-skinned human respectively, returned their respective reactions back - a smile and an upside down smile. They went back to looking around the room.

The captain looked around the room, figuring out what to do now. He looked over at Doris, who was still looking over the silent Guard-Bot. "Find anything yet about our fallen friend?"

"Just the fact that its power had been drained. Other than that, I can't find anything else." Indeed, the bulky robot had nothing else outside of its frozen expression of horror and broken body to go by. Nothing in its sleek can-shaped head, nothing in its broad green chest plate, nothing in its triangular form or muscular arms.

Doris' eyes widened as a terrible thought occurred to her. "Hey, you don't suppose that an energy monster would-"

The captain half-jokingly waved it off. "Pft, no way! If there were any energy monsters, we'd know about them, right? Besides, we should keep on looking for clues before we decide what or who came through here. So let's split up."

"No need. I can help you Rangers, and in turn you can help me and the good staff who run this place."

The Rangers all whipped around, with flashlights in hand and lasers at the ready, only to find that the owner of that voice was no enemy or so it appeared.

A Rhizomian, characterized by her large giraffe-like ears and snout, stood there before the group. She looked she just woke up in the middle of a hundred-year slumber, and it was easy to see why; her long dark green hair was a giant rat's nest, disheveled here and there, and it flowed down her back and over her green jacket and purple nightgown, shoes and handbag.

The captain asked warily, "Who may you be?"

"My name's Elana Dendrite, at your service. I'm the lead curator of this museum." She reached into her handbag and pulled out a small, white and noticeably simple business card to show to the captain for proof. "Here's my card."

 _The Museum of Ancient History-Elana Dieta Dendrite, Lead Curator and Museum Director_

After reading it over, he looked back at her and then back to the card and then back to her again, before finally deciding to relax and gave back the card. "Ah. Well then," the captain motioned to his team, "These are Rangers Tundra Brooks, Doris Viridia and my brother, Sprocket Crockett." Each of the aforementioned Rangers nodded in acknowledgement to their role call, to which Elana responded back with a nod of her own. "And I'm Captain Rocket Crockett."

"Glad to meet you and your team, sir."

Rocket threw a cocky smirk her way. "Likewise." He grew serious again. "So you know what happened here?"

"Not as much as I'd like to, but I have a rough idea what happened. I was asleep in my apartment just a few blocks from here when I got a call from one of my associates telling me that they saw someone breaking into the museum. I had to come here and see if I could stop them. But it appears I got here a little too late," she sadly admitted.

"Well, don't you worry about that. The Space Rangers are here now," Rocket confidently declared. "So since it looks like you know this place better than we do, did you find out what went down?"

"Yes, I did. Please come with me." With a hand, she signaled for them to follow her steps.

The group followed Elana to a room, their footsteps echoing through the eerie place. Upon pushing aside the curtains and entering the area, they discovered the trash.

Pieces of glass and metal and marble lay scattered around a short and broken pillar like casualties in a battlefield. Stanchions were among the casualties, their forms and purposes twisted and completely decimated by the damage. Hovering over all was a pale light hailing from the sky up above, the only source of light within this darkened area. Only a few things remained intact and untouched - a small pillow that was presumed to have been on top of the pillar and unopened crates sitting nearby.

Elana said, "That's not all. Look over here." She hooked a thumb towards the wall before going over to it and showing the team. "The sensors were recently activated. Something - or someone - avoided the lasers and stole the artifact from the top of the pillar."

"Then they blasted a hole and shot off into the stratosphere. Of course." Rocket glanced around the room, looking for anything else out of place. And then he spotted something small peeking underneath a small pile of rubble. A card bearing a few written words typed in black ink.

He kneeled over to it and picked it up after removing the rubble. He read out loud, "'The Eye of the Sun, circa Sanda...kis...ian era. Creator unknown.' I assume you know what this card refers to, Ms. Dendrite?"

"Yes, I do; it refers to the Eye of the Sun. It's a rare diamond that was recently discovered upon the planet of Sandakis... or what is now known today as Planet X."

"Planet X? You mean that rock out in the Beta Quadrant? The one with those pyramids and old digsite for the LGMs?"

"You know about it?"

"...Well...YEAH. Considering those little green beans were excavating on that rock before it was shut down, we WOULD know about it."

"...You would?"

The team didn't know what to make of Elana's confusion. Didn't she know the LGMs worked along with the Space Ranger Corps?

"Oh! Oh yes, that's right, I remember hearing about that through the news. I'm terribly sorry. But yes, this diamond comes from that planet; it was one of the few beautifully preserved artifacts to have ever been excavated."

"What does it look like?" Tundra, having thought way ahead, pulled out a notebook and pencil and was taking notes on everything the Rhizomian reported.

"The diamond is a small and delicate gem but it's large enough to fit in the palm of one's hand. Its shape's like that of an eye, and when you put the diamond in the light, its surface can reflect any color from the light, powerful enough to bathe a room in color."

Rocket commented, "Whoa... that's some diamond. I can see why somebody would want to steal it."

Elana crossed her arms as she scowled in annoyance. "Yes, and unfortunately, now I'll have to close this area off until that gem is found and put back in its rightful place. The diamond is a very important part of this room."

Doris asked, "Why's that, ma'am?"

"This room was going to be used as part of a special exhibit I was going to be opening for Lodestar Week. You see, the exhibit was going to honor those who served in the days of old, during the days of Natron the First and the Protector up until the present... what? Is something the matter?"

The Rangers were all stiffly looking at each other as though Elana had just issued an unpleasant death threat to them all.

Quickly, Rocket assured, "It's nothing. Just a little unpleasant trip down memory lane from one of our adventures. Nothing for you to worry about."

"Okay then. Whatever you say!" She shrugged lightly, much to the relief of the team. "So is there anything else you want to know about?"

Sprocket asked, "The diamond itself. What's so important about it?"

"...Oh... er..." Elana bit her lip and looked away like a small child attempting to fib to a grown-up.

"Ms. Dendrite? Are you okay?"

"Oh, yes, yes, I'm fine! I...er..." She groaned in exasperation. "I _was_ going to keep this as a surprise for everyone, but now it seems like I have no choice but to tell you about it, AND the public." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then grimaced, realizing how rough and tangled her hair really was. She reached into her bag, brought out a small comb and weaved it through her hair faster than anyone had ever seen the act done. Done with untangling the horrible knots, she explained, "That diamond is one of the most mysterious artifacts we've ever had in the museum. We only know a few details about it, one of which is the name and what era it hailed from. But we believe that this diamond was of some significance to the Protector and those who lived in his time. Diamonds, back then, were used not only as status symbols, but also as sources of light. Literally.

When a light source of some kind, be it natural or unnatural, shone down on the gem, the light would bounce off the gem and guide those who didn't have a torch. Thus, it was a very valuable tool for both status and functionality. We believe that this diamond belonged to the Protector himself, but we still aren't entirely sure until we can do more of our homework on it. We're hoping by displaying this diamond, we can introduce the Protector to the people and get them interested in coming here and learning more about the galaxy's past."

Tapping her chin with her pencil, Tundra asked, "It sounds like you want to display this diamond as part of the Protector's personal history, if it was his. Is that fair to say?"

"It's more than fair to say; it's accurate! We don't know _anything_ about the Protector's origins or personal details, and to this day, we're still trying to research him and his accomplishments... outside of defeating Natron and sealing him away for years and years to come and a few myths we've uncovered about him."

Once again, the Rangers cringed at one another at the sound of Natron's name, but Tundra quickly moved onto the next question."So then why the secrecy? I'm sure museum goers would be delighted to see it even if you announced it in the _Daily Starsphere._ "

"That might be true. But it'd ruin the surprise now, wouldn't it? And besides, it wasn't just going to be for the citizens. It was also going to be for-"

A monotone and shrill ring-ring put a stop to Elana's reveal, and it sang inside Rocket's suit. "It's mine." Rocket inserted a finger into his wrist compartment and lifted up the top, unveiled a small screen underneath. Rocket grimaced; on this screen was a portrait of a light-skinned human, with deep blue eyes and a set of light brown eyebrows indicating his considerably youthful appearance. But his tight smile crinkled his appearance as soon as he met Rocket's eyes.

The feeling was mutual. "Lightyear."

"Crockett."

"What brings you to the museum on the small screen?"

"Commander Nebula wants you and your team to report back to Star Command as soon as you're done with your investigation."

"Is that so? That's what he said?"

"Want me to retrieve him so you can hear it for yourself? He's tied up in a meeting with Madame President and wouldn't like being interrupted."

Rocket cringed. "Uh... never mind. We'll finish up as soon as we can and come back to base. By the way, don't get too jealous just 'cuz we've had the chance to go and investigate something big."

Buzz rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, don't get too used to having the mission for long. You and your team get to tackle on the Alpha Centauri assignment, and my team and I get to take over _your_ mission."

"...Say what now?" What was he on about?

"Never mind, Crockett. Just finish up what you're doing there and come back. Nebula will fill you in on the details." And before Rocket could demand to know what this supposed assignment entailed, Buzz hung up, fading to black.

Rocket slapped his communicator back down. What in the galaxy was that all about?! He and his team had to dump this potentially big mission off into Lightyear's lap? Whatever for?!... although... Buzz did sound like he was jealous that Rocket and his team were going on the Alpha Centauri assignment. Whatever that was. Still, it was stupid; they had to give this hopefully exciting assignment to _Buzz_ and his team?! He grumbled, "Fine. Just FINE. Alright team, let's finish this up and then get back to base."

Feeling a little awkward around Rocket's brewing bitterness towards the Pride of Star Command, the team simply agreed. Doris took the initiative to ask Elana, "Right then, so you were saying?" But what Doris got in response was sleepy.

A Rhizomian in deep sleep while standing up, much to the team's bewilderment.

"Ms. Dendrite? Ms. Dendrite, wake up."

A gentle shake on Elana's shoulder and she snapped awake. "Er, wha-what? What just happened?"

"You were talking about the diamond before we got a call from Star Command."

"Huh? I was?"

"Yes, ma'am. Don't you remember?"

"Oh, oh, yes! So I was." She covered an incoming yawn with a hand. "I was going to mention that the diamond was also going to be for the Galactic Alliance as well. We are hoping that by having them take an interest in this diamond, they'd give us more funding for our research, more opportunities to explore new territories in the name of research and more secure travels for these artifacts. Some of these items are so old they've become very delicate like roses and I will not tolerate any damage done to them."

After jotting down this newfound information, Tundra took a moment to pause. "Hmm..."

"What do you got, Tundra?"

Still reeling from the 'bad news' Rocket scowled at his brother. "Hey, watch it, bro. That's MY job to ask."

"Rocket, I'm free to ask!"

Tundra held up a hand before another sibling quarrel could commence and Rocket's temper could flare higher. "It's okay, sir. I wanted to put out a theory that I think everyone needs to hear."

"A theory on what?"

"On who might have stolen the diamond. Who else but Evil Emperor Zurg himself? Or one of his cronies at least. He's had agents steal items for him for some agenda he's got in the works, and he has effectively used Calendarium and other raw elements in the past. Do you believe that he was the one who stole the Eye of the Sun, Ms. Dendrite?"

"Hmm... maybe. But I don't get why he'd want a diamond. He's never stolen anything from the museum, and he certainly hasn't stolen as anything as valuable as a gem. Has he?"

Sprocket answered, "Not unless it was some new and better power source that'd put crystallic fusion out of business. But as far as I can remember, he's never attempted to steal anything like a diamond. And if was him, what would he be up to with that diamond?"

"Pft, maybe he wants to take up jewel collecting as another hobby for all we know. But that wouldn't make sense either: he's got enough wealth and resources to flaunt around that a diamond like this Eye of the Sun deal would be like small fry." Rocket crossed his arms and looked to the rubble before him, the gears in his head turning. He sighed as the pangs of resentment echoed inside of him. "Well, we can't exactly take any more time to figure it out now. We've got to head back to Star Command and tell them what we've found, and report for the Alpha Centauri assignment. Does anybody know what that is?"

"Nope. You got me, big brother."

"No sir, I don't."

"Hmm..."

"Tundra? Why are you smiling like you're up to no good?"

"I'll tell you on the way back to HQ." She turned to Elana. "Well, ma'am, I'm sorry we can't be of anymore help to you tonight, but another team is on the way. We'll be trying to get back that diamond however we can. We'll let you know if we've found any clues that can lead us to it... and you'd better get some sleep too. Sorry about keeping you up at this hour, and for all the inconveniences."

"Oh, don't worry about it; I understand. I'm just grateful that someone came to help. Thanks for all you've done, Rangers. And if I find anything, I'll let you know as well." She held out a hand to shake with the team, and they all accepted it. "C'mon, I'll walk you all out of here and see you off. It's the least I can do for your services."

Somehow, that compliment alone helped them look forward to the Alpha Centauri assignment... whatever the heck it was.

After she waved them goodbye and saw them disappear into the starry sky up above, Elana said to herself, "Hm... strange. I feel like I'm forgetting something. Like I forgot to tell them something else about the diamond... oh well, I can always tell them later; it's probably nothing.

She stretched her arms. "Craters, I'm so sleepy I can't keep my eyes up. I should go back to bed, but I've got to wait until the new team of Rangers arrives. Ah, what to do to stay awake? What to do... I know! I'll go to my office! I've got some..." She shuddered. " _Paperwork_ that needs to be done. Craters... oh well. Maybe I can catch a few minutes of sleep and then get to my office."

Her body willfully agreed; finding a flat wall near the doors to lean back against, she immediately fell asleep.

* * *

 _This is what she knew._

 _In one section of the universe, the star voyager saw them. A group of individuals, a corps dedicated to protecting and defending the galaxy through the power of will, hope and love._

 _But there was a small seed of doubt present._

 _Standing at the edge of a cliff was a fledgling, who wondered about their first flight among the corps within their new rank. Were they ready for what would lie before them?_

 _Ready for their own light to shine? Or would they be doomed to blind everyone with the power they would be given, and risk turning sunlight into fire?_

 _They didn't know._

 _But a scar of fate did._

* * *

 _In another section of the universe, the star voyager saw them. A group of individuals, a team determined to fight for equality and peace for others of their own kind through their own skills and faith in a unanimous dream._

 _But it was far from accomplished._

 _Looking out into the blackness was a blackbird, who pondered about the future to come for their teammates and their pecking order. Were they ready for what would lie before them?_

 _Ready for their passion to burn? Or would their passion go unheeded, and risk turning everything that was on the line into ashes?_

 _They didn't know._

 _But the watching eyes of the universe did._

* * *

I _n another section of the universe, the star voyager saw them. A group of individuals, a company committed to preserving law and order through their badges and senses of justice._

 _But it was not without its prices._

 _Waiting for another day to rise was a fierce raptor, who thought about the losses they endured in the sky and how many more were sure to come. Were they ready for what would lie before them?_

 _Ready for their spark of their own goals to keep pushing them forward in spite of failure? Or would it fizzle out and die, and risk turning them into a lifeless shell?_

 _They didn't know._

 _But the new frontiers beyond the western hemisphere did._

* * *

 _In another section of the universe, the star voyager saw them. A group of individuals, all handpicked by a determined employer, formed into a pack. A pack resolved to safeguard the world from evildoers of many appearances with their instincts and weapons of unpredictability._

 _But no one had expected the recent twist and turn of events._

 _To see a new world beyond their own and every new thing about it brought about new excitement for them all, especially the flock's trusted leader. Were they ready for new discoveries?_

 _Ready for more potential heroes to be chosen to keep the flame for unity kindled? Or would the flame be extinguished by those chosen?_

 _They didn't know._

 _But they certainly had to try; that they did know._

* * *

 _In another section or two of the universe, the star voyager saw them. Other individuals, of all shapes, colors and sizes, all scattered across domains, vowing to uphold a strong and noble cause. Young or old, tall or small, organic or inorganic, now and forever, would they stand for what they believed to be right._

 _But it was sometimes difficult to spot them among the crowds._

 _Although some were content to fly into the background, secure with the knowledge of good deeds well done, others wanted more. Were they ready for more than what they were handed?_

 _Ready to set out and ignite a whole new journey that would test their limits? Or would they crash and go up in smoke before the journey even began?_

 _They didn't know._

 _But only their mentors did._

* * *

 _In another section of the universe, the star voyager saw them. A group of individuals, a corps pledged to guarding and serving the cosmos through their diverse abilities._

 _But they possessed very little knowledge beyond their galactic legends-_

 _Wake up._

 ** _Wake up._**

* * *

"Ms. Dendrite, wake up!"

"Huh, what?!" She sputtered and jolted awake. "What, what? What's going on?!"

"Hey, relax! It's just us, the Space Rangers!"

Elana looked up and saw that it was indeed them, and she recognized who they were by their moonlit silhouettes.

One of them came up to her in the pale light; a female aqua-skinned and orange-red haired Ranger with cerulean blue eyes and a shapely form. That was Mira Nova, princess and heir to the throne of Tangea, her homeworld.

"Ranger Nova?" She accepted the hand that the Tangean princess Ranger offered her and helped her onto her feet.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Tired, but fine." She covered an incoming yawn again. "It is good to see all of you. So what can I do for you four?"

Stepping up to her was the lone human of the group, Buzz Lightyear, who also seemed to have woken up from his hibernation too early. With a sigh barely struggling to hide any traces of irritation, he explained, "We want you to show us the scene of the crime; we're here to pick up the pace from Crockett and his team."

"Oh really? May I ask why you are here instead of-?"

"I'm sorry, but that's strictly classified, ma'am. All you need to know is that this mission is now our top priority and we'll be taking over the investigation from here."

"It was your fault, Booster! You shoulda watched where you placed that drink of yours at the meeting at the Alpha Centauri space station!" That was XR, the Star Command-issued and pint-sized light silvery steamroller with a million gadgets, one golden tube-like head floating in his mechanical body, and little to no filters.

"What?! Was not! That senator broke his arms by accident!" The last but certainly not least member of the group was the friendly red giant, Booster Munchapper from the agricultural world of Jo-Ad. His small and pointed ears flattened in anger towards the smaller Ranger as he glared, his green eyes blazing.

XR glared back, his yellow optics shrinking in his purple containers. "With a fresh bucket of paint and a large can of bunzel ginger beer _conveniently_ lying next to him? I think not! I'm pretty sure _you_ placed it there, and thanks to you, we got stuck here in this dusty old museum while Crockett and his team have all the fun!"

"Rangers, _ENOUGH_."

Whenever their captain used _that_ tone, Booster and XR would immediately drop whatever child's play they were engaged in and straightened out.

"Sorry, Buzz." Booster scraped his feet shamefully, leaving a mark on the floor.

"Yeah... sorry." XR averted his eyes.

Satisfied that his rookie boys were going to hopefully behave themselves, Buzz turned to Elana, only to blink.

She was sleeping on her feet... again.

He reached over to wake her. "Miss, wake up!"

Once more, she snapped out of her slumber. "Wha-what? Huh? O-oh. Uh, what's going on?"

"We need you to take us to where the robbery took place... " He halted a little in concern over how extremely tired the Rhizomian must have been by now. "Then you can go back to sleep."

"I'd be glad to show you, sir. Follow me!"

They trailed in a sludge after her. Somehow, even if Elana was the one who was losing sleep by the hour, the team lacked energy compared to the upbeat Rhizomian.

Once they came to the broken room, Buzz squinted his eyes as he marched all around the area, eyeing for anything unusual or out of place. He scrunched up his eyebrows in concentration, no longer rattling with frustration.

While that was going on, Elana recapped everything that happened prior to Team Lightyear's arrival.

"So let me get this right; Zurg, the Evil Emperor Zurg, the galaxy's most wanted, broke into the museum to steal _one_ diamond that might have belonged to some mythical hero that no one has seen or heard from in ages?...betcha that diamond's worth a lot of money." Mira and Booster could only roll their eyes at his greed.

But Elana paid the robot's comment about the diamond's worth no mind of any sort. "It might be, if he was interested in the art of collecting gemstones."

Buzz was kneeling on the floor and looking for clues when he said, "And it is a very _BIG_ if, ma'am. Zurg wouldn't normally track down diamonds unless it was for some devious scheme. XR!"

The robot wheeled up to his boss. "You call, big guy?"

"Put in a scan near the scene; see if you can find any traces of footprints or anything that our malicious friend left behind."

A giant and grey suction-cup like device popped out of XR's compartment chest and attached itself to the ornate floor. It began pumping and sucking like a leech thirsty for nourishment through its narrow pipe-like throat. "Running!"

"Anything?"

XR stayed quiet for a moment before he announced, "Hate to disappoint you, Buzz, but all I'm getting are broken glass, ceiling damage and...hey, wait a minute..." XR frowned suspiciously. His eyes darted back and forth, as if trying to decide how to put his find into words...and hide a secret only known to him, his teammates and his father.

Mira asked, "What? What is it?"

"I'm getting somethin' weird here. Somethin' familiar."

"How?"

XR pulled his device back and returned it back to inside his chest. He was scowling. "Somethin' that I was SURE we'd never thought we'd see again."

"XR, tell us! What did you find?"

"Well, Mira, since you asked _so_ politely... would you believe I found some of... uh... _Shiv Katall_ 's DNA here?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Um...Rangers... who's Shiv Katall?"

* * *

Who was indeed the face behind the mask?

An agent of Zurg's.

Where was he?

On his moon resort and completely alone. At his home, and changed out of his blue armor, he was overlooking the sights. The extensive views of the celestial bodies that he had for neighbors, his own private resort consisting of a miniature and relaxing crystal blue waterfall and a pool and a lovely golden mansion, and his illustrious reward sitting in a large big next to him as he lay on his beach chair, quietly sipping on his mint-flavored Crater Cola.

But Warp was finding it difficult to concentrate on counting his money, not when he was finding himself stuck in thought.

He didn't want to admit it, but he was still trying to piece together what Zurg could want with that diamond. It wasn't like it'd be hard to sell it on the black market on Tradeworld or someplace like that. But Warp honestly couldn't see the big Z wanting to sell that diamond to any lowlives without some sinister purpose. Especially since he wanted Warp to _steal_ it in the first place for yet another attempt to take over the galaxy.

Maybe there was something particular about the diamond that only Zurg knew about that he wasn't sharing. There had to be, given it was placed in the museum and not some schmaltzy and over-the-top jewelry company like Tad's Jewels. And as boring as museums could be, they do give out useful information on important items.

Except with this diamond. There was practically no information about it whatsoever, other than its name and its era of origin. He never even heard of this 'Sandakisian' time period, unless it was referring to an ancient culture or planet that no longer existed.

Or maybe they did exist but they were hidden somewhere... and only Zurg knew where they were hiding and that was why he needed this diamond?

But if that was the case, then why go to all this trouble to keep them, and the grand plan, top-secret from the agent? From him, the Grubs AND Brain Pods? What could he want so badly from this planet or culture?

Usually Zurg was gabby about his plans; he liked announcing them to everyone who was within two light-years of him. Sometimes even to Lightyear and his band. But he was hardly saying a word about what was going on behind the scenes. And he would get testy every time someone pushed him about it... more than usual.

Could it be something _truly_ big he was hatching?

More so than the Uni-Mind incident?

Warp shook his head in disbelief.

" _Nah,_ " he thought. It was probably an old feather-brained plot that Zurg was rehashing because he ran out of original ideas. It was possible; there were only so many ways one major baddie could try to take over the universe, and Warp was pretty sure the big Z tried them all, and rehashed them.

...Except none of the plans, as far back as the agent could remember, ever involved a precious gemstone. Not something as beautiful as that diamond, anyway.

Perhaps there was some sort of significance to that gem's name that appealed to him for some reason?

No, that couldn't be it. Not only was the emperor horrible with names, as Warp could attest to when he was bestowed his stupid agent name by the emperor, but Zurg wouldn't want something just because of its _name_.

Maybe something with its appearance? That had to be it.

...No, that couldn't be it, either. If he really wanted it for its shiny surface, he would have made that clear, and Warp didn't take his employer to be that shallow when it came to things like appearances.

So what could a diamond do to serve him, other than sitting around looking pretty behind glass?

A series of chirping whirs drew the agent out of his thoughts. Nearby, a large machine with buttons and a triangular screen blipped and faded to life. The black screen revealed a name and a familiar face.

"Zurg!" Warp sat straight up as his employer's face finalized through the vid-phone screen.

"Ah, I see you're back into your old armor. MUCH better."

Indeed, Warp put his recognizable blood red and royal purple armor back on, much to Zurg's delight. "So are you enjoying your bag of riches, Warpster?"

"Uh... yeah. Yeah, it's great!" He threw on a quick smirk. "I hope there's plenty more where that came from."

Luckily, Zurg seemed to buy it. He huffed and shook his head, seemingly in mock disappointment. "Oh, Darkmatter, that seems to be all you think about these days. Well now, you're gonna hafta think about something else! Have you got your jet pack refueled?" It was no question; it was a demand.

"Yeah, I refueled it when I came home."

"Excellent! Then be on your toes then, I've got your next assignment ready for you! Here's what I want you to do now..."

* * *

"Wait. YOU'VE never heard of Shiv Katall?" XR wheeled up to the curator in disbelief.

"Uh ...no... Should I have?"

"Only if you're interested in knowing he is - er, was, or is, whatever - the most dangerous bounty hunter in the galaxy! _RIGHT_ , Buzz?"

The stink eye he fired his captain's way deflected back to him not only through Buzz, but through Mira and Booster too. None of them were willing to admit that they were alarmed at this bounty hunter's possible resurrection, not with the curator around.

"So he's a bounty hunter and you think that he came by here?..." Elana furrowed her brow. "That's ridiculous; why would a bounty hunter want to steal a diamond from here? A bounty hunter's job is supposed to catch people, not gemstones!"

"Oh, you'd be surprised how a bounty hunter works when he's - ouch!" XR rubbed the back of his arm where Mira smacked him.

Wanting to steer the conversation away from Shiv Katall specifically, Buzz said, "I don't know exactly, ma'am, but if, uh... he was the one behind this, we'll need to gather up a lot more evidence than what we've found so far." He tapped his large chin in thought.

Mira, Booster and XR all looked at one another. Mira asked, "What are you thinking, sir?"

"Hmm... Ms. Dendrite, you said that Rocket and his team theorized that Zurg might be behind this robbery, is that true?"

"Yes, I did. What about it?"

"Well, if I know Zurg, like I think I do, _I_ theorize he had someone decide to dress up as Shiv Katall to break in here, steal the diamond and bring it back to him for some underhanded scheme he's got cooking up."

"...Which is...?" XR asked.

"Well, that's the million unibuck question, isn't it? Zurg wouldn't normally want to have somebody coming in here to steal a diamond. It's not like you can get those anywhere else, unless they had some special flaw or talent or... hey wait a minute. Maybe that's it!" Buzz smashed his fist into his palm.

"That's what?"

He urged, "Ms. Dendrite, is there any special trait the Eye of the Sun is known for?"

"Yep! The Eye of the Sun, we believe, might have been of some use to those who lived during this time period. Gems like these were used not only symbols of wealth, but also as natural methods of light."

"How?"

"Whenever a light of any sorts was present, it could bounce off the gem and guide those who didn't have a torch through the darkness. It could even - oh craters, that's what I forgot!" She snapped her fingers as her brain snapped to life.

"Forgot what?"

She rubbed a hand down her face in embarrassment. "Ack, I forgot to tell Rocket and his team one piece of important information about that diamond! Now I remembered what it was.

Back then, the diamonds were also, under the light, used as a means of silent communication between individuals using a secret code that only they knew. It was an advanced technique that predated the methods we have today, like Morse code and communicators. Really quite amazing, if I can say so myself." She giggled.

"...That's it? That's what this diamond could do? Be used as a walkie-talkie slash lightbulb for people? Wow, old and useless artifacts had it made long before robots did." XR scoffed.

However, for Booster, hearing about the gemstone's fantastical features prompted him to ask, "Maybe he wants to light up a dark and abandoned room with the diamond?"

Mira suggested, " _Or_ he might want to use it to communicate with someone, just like Elana described. But if it was Zurg, how can we prove it? We don't have any proof here other than the DNA XR found and... we don't have any idea who's wearing Shiv Katall's armor now."

Buzz pursed his lips in thought, sharing Mira's own concern over the face behind the mask. "We'll just have to get some help with this case then and- Hey I think I know just the Ranger to call in for the job!"

As fascinated as ever with Buzz's natural confidence, Booster asked, "Wow, really? Who, Buzz?"

"Ranger Pix, of course! If anyone can track down the culprit, it's her."

Elana beamed at the mention of that pooch's name. "Pix?"

XR, however, looked like he bit into a lemon. " _Really_? We have to call in _that_ evil furball?"

"Can you think of anyone else for the job?"

"Yeah! Other mutts can take her job!"

"No, they can't! They're still being trained on the planet of Verdentia. Remember?"

" _Yes._ I remember, Booster. _Thank you_ for so much reminding me."

"Enough grousing. Pix will be our best chance of finding the robber if we bring her in here tomorrow."

"Oh that sounds good, except for one problem. Commander Nebula wants us to be there very early in the morning with him and Madame President to welcome Lodestar Week, and I don't think we can be in two places at one." Mira pointed out.

Buzz replied, "Not a problem, Ranger Nova. We'll arrive here before everyone else with Pix, spend a few minutes here with her, collect some proof, and then report our findings to the commander before the ceremony starts and then try to look into this case when we're on break from our duties tomorrow. It'll be as simple as that."

XR pouted as he whined, "Simple? Oh sure, simple to get away from all of the fun barbecues and games they've got planned for the day!"

"Actually, if all of you would like, I can try to speak with your commander and Madame President and get them to grant you permission to leave. That way, you can all come into the museum whenever you can manage to get away from the plaza to solve this case, and you can enjoy yourselves as much as you want during the events," Elana offered.

Buzz pumped a fist in triumph. "Great! We'd appreciate that very much. How 'bout it, Rookies?"

Two of the other members' expressions might have ranged from neutral and casual to disappointed and nasty, but underneath their looks, they all felt similar veins of indignation flowing through their bloodstreams.

Only one remained psyched, in and out. "You betcha, Buzz!" He grinned a large grin, his teeth shining.

Buzz didn't notice the steam, but he did notice the time passing by. On his communicator, the time was now nearly two-thirty at night. "Speaking of which, we'll need to jet out of here, team. It's time for us to go back to Star Command and get a good night's rest for tomorrow. Maybe then we'll find the answers right underneath our noses.

But before we go, is there anything else you want to tell us, Ms. Dendrite?... And if you can remember it?"

"Hmm... no, that's about it, but if I think of anything, I'll inform you through Star Command or the Galaxy Watch. And I won't forget this time!"

"Thanks. We'll send in more Guard-Bots right away for extra security so you can rest easy. And don't you worry; no one will be stealing any more items under Star Command's eyes. C'mon team, let's haul out!"

Once more, Elana offered to walk the team out of the museum. After she watched them depart, she stretched her arms and yawned again. "Craters... what a night. I'll get the robots to help me clean up this mess in the morning and deal with that... argh, _paperwork_ , tomorrow night. For now, though, I'd better wait in my office for the guards to show up."

She went back inside the museum, and all was quiet in the night again.

* * *

All was quiet in his ship, the _Striker-Z_ , as he journeyed fast to his destination. The long and narrow ship was a red and purple blurring wind to the outside world. He soared past stars and meteors and planets, under the cover of stealth and his own piloting skills.

Another confusing and meaningless assignment granted to him by the Evil Emperor Zurg.

First, Zurg tasked him to pick up the Eye of the Sun diamond from the Museum of Ancient History on Capital Planet, and now he wanted him to go to _another_ planet to pick up _another_ object that was deemed useless in spite of its supposed beauty?

What was he, an agent or Zurg's personal shopper?

He sighed in aggravation. "This better be worth every uni-buck I was promised."

It almost seemed like hours before he closed in on his target.

The ancient planet of Pax. So familiar to him and yet so foreign, in more ways than one.

Its dark black and deep clouds cloaked its brown earthy layers from top to bottom, from side to side, from inch to inch. It was masked away from the eyes of all generations. It seemed to fit its mysterious and spooky appearance. According to Warp's employer, this planet was once where the capital of the galaxy's government was once held before it was moved to Capital City on Capital Planet many years ago.

Not of that was completely interesting to the agent. He was here for one thing and one thing only; to grab the artifact and leave before anybody saw his ship.

And that's what he was going to do. So with a forward push of his thrusters, he blasted on down to Pax and vanished into the clouds.

* * *

 _And then there was she. She and other individuals, all assigned by their esteemed employers, came together as one order. An order created to maintain stability and balance under the cover of stealth and darkness. Each member of the order was assigned a responsibility over a common aspect of life—time, nature, and so on._

 _They would gain their respective responsibilities in part due to their innate places in creation's entire grand structure. She had an easier time finding her own purpose in the universe, if not only because of her close encounter with one of these aspects, one that almost took her life away permanently, but also because she understood the cycle behind said aspect at a young age. Thus, she had the strongest comprehension of this aspect out of the entire order._

 _It was a job she performed with compassion, dignity and excellence. But it was also a grim and deadly job. Sometimes heartbreaking implications came out of her task. Not for herself, but for those who acquired her services. Her power alone evoked many feelings from every creature she interacted with: anger, greed, fear, determination, hope, adoration, compassion, and awe. Some of those emotions would sometimes play a part in how she would complete her assignment, as they sometimes dictated actions. Actions targeted at her._

 _As a result, she would either pity or condemn them, depending on their hearts and where they resided: in the right or wrong places. Sometimes she would, out of the kindness of her own heart, give them her aid if she felt they deserved it for their virtues. But sometimes...she would, out of the righteous fury of her own heart, punish them if she felt they deserved it for their sins. Because of her saintly or devilish acts, she would be sought after by angels and demons of the terrestrial and ethereal planes._

 _Annoying as it was at times, she held no lingering contempt for these creatures who sought her out. The search for her inspiration and aid was the search for the divinity in life itself._

 _Thus, she accepted this as a natural part of her life. No matter how harrowing or rewarding it would be in the end. For what good would it do to question her purpose when she knew it was what made her be?_

 _And so, she would be patient in her line of work with these beings and do what she needed to do for the sake of their lives, and for the sake of the progression of life._

 _No matter what consequences, whether they were foreseen or unforeseen, came before her on her voyage through time, space and reality._

* * *

His ship broke through the blanket of cloud and water and icy chills. One step closer to his goal.

He flew his ship around in a circle, trying to find a good spot to land among the remains of basilicas and temples, all once proud pieces of architecture now laid to waste and rot. Life was absent and bare here, a graveyard of a former and glorious civilization. But by some strange manmade miracle, some buildings stood their ground and remained standing, but even they were not immune to the planet's decay. They were empty and abandoned, haunted by the winds of change.

Finally, Warp found an empty and dusty field near one of the temples to land his ship.

After he landed, he popped out of his glass hatch, hopped out of the _Striker Z_ , and took a good look at his surroundings.

His eyes darted right to left and then up and down.

Good, no sign of anybody else. Now it was time to get this mission going.

He carefully treaded through and over marble rubble and stone structures, with only his red boots crunching down and making noise in this ghost town.

Crunch.

Crunch.

 _"Darkmatter..."_

He immediately froze like he'd been stabbed.

 _"Darkmatter..."_

He whipped around, looking for whoever - or whatever - was calling his name. But there was no one here!... was there?

 _"Darkmatter..."_

He sneered. "Alright, who's there?! Come on out or I'll atomize you!" To make good on his threat, Warp brought forth his chrome cybernetic arm out and transformed it into a cannon. He pointed his arm all around him as a means of protection and force. Even as he treaded with care past the pillars and piles, his weapon of choice was in front at all times, in case whatever called his name came back.

But to his luck, and relief, that whisper didn't speak again. Just on time too; he found the temple he was looking for and-

He blinked and then snorted in amusement. "Are you serious?"

The building he was assigned to find the item resembled the Museum of Ancient History's appearance, if only missing a few details. For one, there were no doors keeping anyone in or out, and there was a lack of a giant staircase. Plus, the statues guarding the threshold didn't look as polished as the ones from the museum. Other than that, the building looked like an identical cousin to the museum.

"Well, that was easy enough. I hope the item will be just as easy to find."

He took to a jog and he went inside to collect the prize.

Deep inside the black shadows of the ruins.

* * *

A few hours later.

Back down, on Capital Planet grounds, the day broke fire.

Like a watercolor painting, hues and shades of red and yellow mixed and danced together, shooing away the blue and purple remainders of nighttime and the stars, promising a brand new day to all who witnessed the glorious flight of the sun.

Sunrise.

Sunrise was here... as was Lodestar Week.


	4. Chapter 2: To Weave

**Chapter Two: To Weave**

* * *

By the time he ventured deeper into the temple, it grew colder and darker; the museum back in Capital City was far more comfortable. At least there was the moon to fall back on. Here?

Only the echoes of his own boot steps and dust and mildew and mold welcomed Warp with disgusting arms.

" _Ugh. Temples,_ " he complained in his mind. The odor in this place was just as bad as Pedian slug guano. It reminded Warp of the time when he was sent on a mission in the swamps of Betahart Four; this place was equally sticky and oppressing, but without all the heavy muck, compressing humidity and parasitic brain ticks.

While he couldn't anything about the mold eating away at the walls, other than avoid touching or going anywhere near them, he would do something about the airborne mildew and dust. Pressing a button near the collar rim of his suit, he activated a glass helmet that would swoop over his head and give him plenty of fresh air to breathe.

And to provide a substitute for the lack of moonlight, he produced a flashlight from a socket within his cybernetic arm. Its pale but strong orange glow became a very useful companion to him as it guided him to a newly created path for him to walk upon.

Now breathing in the refreshing and clean air his suit supplied him, and armed with weapon and light, he was now protected against the ruins. With those minor inconveniences out of the way, he found himself in a large room, very much similar to the museum's own large room.

The only differences were that faded pottery pieces, cracked pillars and greying moss littered the place, reducing it to an early example of a junkyard. Tiny slivers of moonlight slipped through small cracks of the stone walls, not even enough to completely chase away the darkness. But they, along with his reliable flashlight, did shed enough light for Warp to stumble upon his assigned goal.

Draping high above him against the wall by many feet was an ancient tapestry, stained with age and suffering a few tears but otherwise preserved. Stitched into its delicate body were swirling muted rainbow patterns. Its borders were laced with gentle ivy strands. Some of the patterns were woven into identifiable features: thinning tree trunks that bloomed out large and healthy green and glittering golden leaves. All seven trees lined up in a circle, they stood in perfect vertical harmony. Pointed stars dotted the rich deep blue night sky, but their beauty paled terribly in comparison to the brightest stars of them all:

The sun, and the animal it was overshadowed by.

Warp squinted at the strange creature's design. He couldn't tell what sort of winged animal it was. An ancestor of the modern puffer maybe? Its impressive wing span, large eyes, long legs and crest of feathers made it seem so. The creature was in the air, gracefully taking off in shimmering blue glory while a simple human-esque figure underneath it watched with awe while it kneeled on the earth, worshipping this being.

Whatever the thing was, Warp had to take the tapestry back with him. The only question was, how was he going to get it down and bring it back without damaging it? The thing had to weigh at least two hundred universal mass measuring units, and he didn't have Hornets to help him lift it.

But that could all change with one quick call.

He put his flashlight down on the ground, brought his robotic arm towards him and activated his own communicator, a small circle of a screen. He made contact with his boss.

"Yes, Darkmatter, what is it?"

"I've found the tapestry."

Zurg cooed and giggled and clapped with joy. "Ooohohohoho, goody! Another piece of the puzzle! When should I expect you two?"

"Actually, that's what I'm calling about; I'll need some help moving this thing. It's way too big for me to carry by myself." To provide proof, Darkmatter shifted his arm towards the textile piece to show Zurg.

"Oh... Mother of pearl... the tapestry's more beautiful than I could have ever imagined! I might have to add it to my collection of knickknacks once this is all over. Darkmatter!"

Arm back in front of him, Warp asked, "Yeah?"

"I shall send a small group of Hornets to your location to assist you. We'll be touching down on Pax in ten minutes, so whatever you do, DON'T leave that tapestry be. Got that?"

"I have to babysit this tapestry?"

"Do you have someplace else to be, _Darkmatter_?"

"Uh... no, no! I'm fine being right here."

"That's what I thought. Now don't let any harm come to that tapestry!" With that, the screen went black, as did Warp's attitude.

"Great." He kicked at a broken pottery piece. "Now what am I supposed to do, build a campfire and roast marshmallows?" He folded his arms in disgust, seething.

He looked back at the stupid piece of fabric, as if this was the tapestry's own fault for Zurg appointing him its guardian. "I don't know what Zurg wants with you, but there'd better be a good story behind it."

It hung silently.

* * *

It flew silently in soul and body, but in mind... it blistered with fury.

Defeated by its ancient foe and exiled to the farthest reaches of the cosmos, when they were so close. So _close_ to obtaining the ultimate life force for themselves and destroying their enemy's living and breathing Heart.

Now all of that had been taken away, thanks to the interference of one Ranger, one princess and king, and one artificially intelligent being.

Now they were _weak_.

Weak and in need of nourishment very soon, for surely they would wither away into oblivion if they did not act now.

But how? What was out here in the void to sustain their form? Nothing but asteroids, stars, and nebulae could be seen in their path. Locating a planet teeming with life force was a goal that slipped further and further out of its grasp. The farther they traveled, the more unlikely they would succeed in that goal, and its ultimate agenda.

Locating the last planet they were on? Impossible. Their mystic executioner saw to it that they were sent to the darkest parts of space where they could not hurt any living being. Someplace far away where they would be forced to rot away until there was nothing left. Someplace where they would just float in between spaces, hidden away from everyone.

Just like in the past, where it hid deep underneath everyone's noses.

Before they manifested themselves into the gaunt terror that haunted the darkest corners of the galaxy, and drained everything it touched out of life.

And now this.

They had been adrift the cosmic sea for so long that all markings of time seemed to evaporate out of its conscious thought.

Despite its current predicament, they were far from the type to give up so easily. Though greatly crippled from their last battle, they would eventually find a planet. They would find a place where life flourished, feast and recover, and then go back and fight. Fight with a stronger resolve to finish what it set out to do all those years ago.

In the meantime, they could only hang there in the void, a wandering leech in need of new and temporary sustenance...

It suddenly _felt_ it in its withering cells and beyond.

Warmth.

Light.

Fire.

A sun! If there was a sun, then that meant there was... yes!

A planet... at long last.

It floated its way to where it could feel the sun's power radiating. From there, it could now continue its search. It plunged head first towards the planet.

* * *

One wouldn't suspect it out of the Saphiran/human, but Warp was a professional at beating boredom.

How? The wall, already tortured by mold, was taking another severe beating through Warp as he sat on the ground and threw his ball against it for about the eleventh time. The cycle was the same: toss ball at wall, hit wall, watch ball bounce and catch ball. And rinse and repeat. The dull thuds from the ball bouncing to and fro occupied the empty space of silence.

" _Good to know that I learned something from my time at PC-7_ ," he thought. The game was about the only thing he could do to keep himself and the tapestry company.

That tapestry...

His eyes drifted over the long fabric. Hopefully his boss would explain why the dumb tapestry was so important to the grand plan, but Warp doubted that would happen. Zurg was probably going to give some vague answer and tell him 'not to worry and don't question it'.

 _"What, me worry?"_ Warp had better things to do than to play investigator and solve the mystery behind this plan. After all, was it really any of his concern? He was an agent for evil, not some nosy Brent Starkisser clone working at the _Daily Starsphere_.

At least that's what he tried to tell himself, but his gut and contempt for the ambiguous told him otherwise.

He sighed and dropped his ball, no longer interested in his game. So much for beating boredom.

Now what?

As if the powers that be up above sensed it, a faint shriek delivered him from his stagnant state of mind.

He froze and sat straight up. A wary watcher, he narrowed his eyes and looked left to right and then right to left.

And once again...

" _Darkmatter_..."

Oh craters, not this again!

 _"Darkmatter..."_

Converting his metallic arm into a cannon again, Warp stood to his feet and looked around for the source of that freaky whisper.

" _Darkmatter..."_

"Look, if you're gonna play games with me, I'm getting tired of playing them your way. Why don't you come on out and play a different game, _my way_?!"

A hot draft of air responded in the agent's presence, whipping against his face. He turned this way and that, trying to focus his weapon on whatever was there.

He took a slow step forward in front of his flashlight, his shadow dancing in its light. He attempted to discover where the spooky wind originated from, and kept his cannon at the ready. His footsteps echoed in the ruins.

Step. Step. Closer. Closer. And he found his source—an open space in the rotting wall behind one of the pillars.

"..."

The open hole in the wall led to the outside, a small portion of dawn's soft light peeping through the wall. The wall itself—carved with crude images and glyphics, seemed otherwise grounded in age and resilience.

Warp squinted his eyes as he attempted to decipher the text, but most of it was either erased or simply difficult to translate with the original meaning behind such characters lost to the sands of time.

Except one.

The large image of one - no, two - figures caught his eye.

The outline of two armored warriors, locked in fencing combat and seeming to be surrounded by a ring of fire, stood facing one another as they were locked in an eternal duel.

One of the warriors's faces was completely covered up, while the other's face was open to attack. Both wore long headdresses and glared at each other with black and narrowed eyes. Compared to the rest of the symbols and texts on the wall, this image was perhaps the most perfectly protected one of them all. So protected, it was as though nothing - no age, dust, mold, or treasure seekers (or robbers in the more lawful eyes) could sweep it off the wall.

Their headdresses briefly put Warp on edge; he was reminded of another certain being who looked as regal as these two fighters were, but more dangerous. He ignored the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as the image almost seemed to stare right at him even if it wasn't moving.

But something did move.

Another hot gust of air that blew past his face. But this wind was like no other.

The air's currents became sandy as it increased its strength and began to physically push the agent back, back, back away from the wall. He shielded his face with his other arm as he tried to keep his eyes open but safe from the grains of sand thrown his way.

In between the currents—a ghastly presence appeared, slowly manifesting itself into a unrecognizable and glowing mask-like shape.

Staring right into Warp's eyes with its own slitted 'eyes'.

It spoke... _"Darkmatter..."_

A hand was formed and attempted to reach out to him.

But Warp didn't take its hand; he took a chance and fired.

An energy blast shot off like a cannonball towards the shape, but to no avail.

The blast passed through it.

The shape stood there in the sandy winds, staring at the agent as he struggled to stand in place.

So Warp tried again and fired another shot.

But the figure remained where it was, and remained unharmed.

"Do you mind explaining why you're playing a game of peekaboo instead of fighting, or do I have to keep on blasting you until you answer?"

He took one more shot.

This time, although the shape was unharmed as before, the shape slowly disappeared and the wind died.

And Warp was all by himself again. Or was he?

 _"Darkmatter... beware of what may come to pass... if he should open the gateway... beware..."_

The last raspy message before the messenger retreated back to once it came.

Warp tentatively looked around his surroundings.

Columns, walls, mold, silence and darkness-all as it was before his interaction with the invisible kind.

A clamp on his shoulder! "Darkmatter!"

"Whoa!" Without his jet-packed wings, he could have very well jumped all the way to the ceiling. "Zurg!"

Behind the evil emperor were armies of slim, tall and yellow and black robots. Their triangle heads lacked any way to physically see; their 'eyes' were no more than three black lines. Their arms, although smaller in some proportions, were big and strong enough to help lift anything up when working together. Their arms, like Warp's own singular arm, contained weaponry to assist in their goal of overpowering the enemy. Some of them took to the sky thanks to their built-in jet packs, foaming out green bursts of propulsion. All were built the same way with the same programming in mind: to obey Zurg.

The Hornets.

Accompanying them were two Brain Pods and a few Grubs, a few holding up their own flashlights and clipboards, with the latter available for any notes to be taken from the emperor's mouth.

Zurg scrunched an eye at Warp's rattled state. "You were maybe expecting the Tooth Fairy?" He tucked his arms behind his back and waited for his agent to collect himself. "Now what were you doing lollygagging and shooting like you were impersonating a sola-cowboy?"

For once, Warp didn't have a salty response to Zurg. He spared a glance to Zurg before gazing warily where he saw the...the thing. "...I'm not sure."

"Excuse me?"

"..." Warp leaned his head forward to try and hear the ghostly voice again. He eyed the area, back and forth. Finally, he went back over to his flashlight, grabbed it and pointed it at various spots on the wall. But nothing happened or came.

It was gone...whatever it was.

"Darkmatter, can we please get a move on from your little adventure game?! We've got work to do!"

Coming out of his trance no thanks to Zurg, Warp glared, whipped around and snapped, "You want to get a move on? Fine! Then let's get the tapestry down. Hornets, let's do a little redecorating, and get out of here.

"I don't like this place."

He stowed away his flashlight and his ball and went to work.

* * *

Outside of the ruins and beyond, the sky opened up and something fell to the ground, its fiery tail disappearing into the air.

It dug deep into the dust and earth and it cooled off with time.

But this was no ordinary space object.

It squished itself and reformed into a long and electric red body, slithering and kicking up the dust in a flurry. Like a newborn, it peeked its diamond-shaped head at its surroundings, curious and alert. And it opened its jaws as it tasted the free air.

That last battle it was engaged in nearly depleted it of its life.

But it took more than its wired nemesis to finish it off. Soon, it would grow in strength and size, and try once more to conquer the galaxy.

" _Life force..._ " it whispered sickly.

It took off.

* * *

"Gently now...! GENTLY! Please for the love of Helene, don't rip it apart! It's over thousands of years old! Easy... easy now! Easy... don't handle it that way-ah... perfect! Whew, that was close." After wiping off imaginary sweat from his bucket-headed brow, Zurg throw his hands around his mouth and yelled to his cronies, "Now let's pack it up and get back to Planet Z! I want to get started on my latest project as soon as possible!"

Outside of the temples, Zurg's _Dreadnought,_ stood ready and waiting on the barren earth as the Hornets and Warp carefully placed the tapestry inside its storage compartment, in the ship's middle section.

Getting the tapestry down was the easy part. Fitting it inside the _Dreadnought_ was the hard part.

Because of its large size, it had to be rolled up tightly to fit into the ship, so everyone (minus Zurg) pitched in to roll the fabric onto itself without accidentally tearing it any further. It took a solid ten minutes for the whole process to be done before they could call their task complete.

Now it was time to leave this place.

Everyone boarded the ship. Everyone except Warp.

Before heading out to his own ship, he took one more look at the ruins.

That thing was hiding somewhere out there, watching their every move.

He had no intent on telling Zurg what happened, given that his boss would probably call the agent a colorful storyteller and he wouldn't have believed him anyway unless he had proof. Besides, that whole affair was done and over with, right? Right.

At least that's what he _wanted_ to believe.

"Darkmatter, let's go! You can do more sightseeing later when I tell you to!"

Warp turned over his shoulder to give Zurg a silent scowl. He thought of making some sort of snide comeback, but thought better of it. Instead he turned heel, boarded his ship and blasted off soon after the _Dreadnought_ took off into the air. The _Striker-Z_ was directly by the _Dreadnought_ 's side, acting as a remora to the larger shark.

Little was the remora unaware that it possessed its own leech attached to it, taken to hiding within the _Striker-Z_ 's hull while no one was watching.

And it chuckled very lowly as it waited in the dark for the right moment to strike its latest victim.

* * *

The two ships left behind a trail of dust where they were last standing. Higher and higher did they climb, past the sun's slivering head as they went back into the eternal night up above.

All became quiet on the landscape, except for the winds.

The dusty and sandy winds suddenly blew at a furious rate, spinning around each other to form a small tornado. The tornado spun faster and faster as a shape formed within its grainy heart.

A figure with slitted eyes watching the ships departing from this planet.

" _Fools_..." it seemed to mutter. Then the tornado died, but as it died, a raven approached the spot where it spun, having watched the same thing the shape did.

It cawed loudly after the shape left and then it flew into the sky, leaving the temple behind in its wake.

* * *

The sky was still sleepy, taking its time in waking up for another day. But Team Lightyear wasn't. They were wide awake and hopeful for what they wanted to be a perfect day... as soon as certain matters were attended to first.

They landed their trusty ship, Star Cruiser 42, out on the outskirts of the beloved Space Ranger Academy.

The campus shone in the deep dawn, with its its silver buildings standing behind a larger terracotta-colored building. Artificial white and green and purple rocket shaped Star Cruisers towered proudly on the rooftops. In front of the school was a dew-stained grassy field and a small training ground, the latter complete with a climbing wall, a set of training bars, a chomping machine with a set of fake jaws, a small lake, and a finish line. The Star Command emblem was branded proudly on the very top of the school numerous times to indicate that this was THE place to train and become a force for good.

But it was not the school or the students that the team wanted to see.

"Alright, Rangers, let's go to the race track and find Pix. Commander Nebula told me that's where she was last seen with her team. Then once we find her we can go back to the museum and-"

XR yawned and stretched as he muttered, "Alright, we get it: a mission before a day of fun. Typical."

"It's not going to take the entire day. We'll look around a short time, and then we'll go back for the ceremony. The ceremony isn't until later this morning, so we may as well spend our time wisely by doing something productive."

" _My_ definition of production would happen to be waking up to a sweet oil bath, next to wondering about a suspicious character named Shiv Katall." XR shot a stink eye towards Buzz. "You sure you haven't got a clue who's behind the mask now, _sir_?—ow!"

He was smacked again, only by Booster this time. "No way! He is NOT Shiv Katall! Besides, Shiv's an alter ego. _Remember_ , XR?"

"...Your point?"

"You said it was Shiv's DNA you found, not Buzz's or Nebula's!...or even that other...uh... not-Buzz Lightyear!"

"Hey, just because I happened to suspect our glorious leader of another Shiv Katall stunt didn't mean I wanted _her_ to find out about it and beat me to the punch! I had to say something to get that spacey Rhizomian off of his tracks, and more importantly, off of my tracks too since I couldn't find anything!"

The two of them glared daggers. But they didn't bother starting another fight when Mira broke it up. "Hey, knock it off, you two! Buzz is NOT Shiv Katall. And besides, whoever's posing as Shiv now, they're doing a good job keeping out of the spotlight. XR couldn't find out who was wearing the armor, let alone how the armor was found, even with his DNA scanner. And there's no proof it's you-know-who. There is zero chance he survived that explosion."

Buzz pointed out, "That's what we thought last time. But even if it was him, he wouldn't have blasted out the way the crook did last night. If I know him-or me-I wouldn't have done it like that."

"Then how would you have done it?"

"Does it matter, XR? The point is it's not him. I have my own theory as to who _did_ do it."

"You've been coming up with a lot of theories lately, haven't you?"

Buzz shared Mira's grin. "I like to keep my brain in shape, Mira. All part of a Ranger's day of work. And last night was no exception; before I drifted off to sleep, I couldn't stop thinking about the many possible suspects responsible for breaking in and I think I've landed on our main man."

"You have? Who do you think it was?" Booster asked.

"Well..." Buzz began. Before he could finish, however, the familiar sound of a jet pack's thunderous afterburners kicking in reached his ears. "Sounds like we've got company—SweetmotherofVenusduck!"

Just in time, the team took cover and fell to the ground as a white and blurry shape shot over their heads like an arrow sprung from a bow, only noisier. The shape sharpened itself as it took off into the indigo-stained sky again, circling upwards and aiming high, high, high before diving to the ground like a hawk chasing its prey. Along the way, it easily broke through a few round targets coming at it with its left fist and sweeping kicks.

XR yelled as they got up, "Hey, why doesn't that crazy space mutt watch where she's goin'?!"

'She' was another Space Ranger, only of the blue and white furred third kind. With pointy jackal-like ears, bright yellow eyes and a long robotic cheetah-like tail, she easily stood out on the race track. Her space suit, which was a blend of two different types of suits with custom ordered touches such as the collar tag worn from her purple collar, purple sleeves underneath the suit and white and smooth shoulder guards, served as another factor in helping even the newest cadets in the Corps instantly recognize who she was.

She was Pix, resident dog Ranger of Star Command and part-time Road Rover, and she was racing with the wind.

Or at least racing with herself. As soon as she touched earth near the dusty and white-lined race track and her jet pack glider wings retracted, she went off and completed lap after lap, keeping her tempo balanced with a few slow laps or too many fast ones to keep herself in shape.

Booster was in awe. "I don't think she meant to run us over, XR. She didn't even notice us! Has she been training here all morning?"

"All morning and still going. Pix is very determined to make history tomorrow with the task Madame President assigned her."

"Which is exactly _what_ again?"

Buzz sternly eyed XR, with one tipped brow. "You don't know?"

Realizing his goof, XR made an attempt to explain, "Well, o-of course I know! I just... forgot. There's a difference."

"Well, let me refresh your RAM banks then. Madame President wants Pix to use her incredible speed in her Road Rover Ranger form to break the sound barrier in the air." He grinned with pride for the dustchaser.

XR didn't share Buzz's own enthusiasm. "Is that so?"

"It _is_ so, and here's why.

"If she can break the sound barrier in under twenty minutes while overcoming all of the obstacles that'll be in her way in said obstacle course, and also fly up to maximum speed to break the barrier, then she'll have earned the chance to pick one out of many campaigns held during Lodestar Week and whatever she picks, all generous donations will be divided up to support the campaign itself, Lodestar Week, and Star Command. And of course, the dog breeders of Verdentia to thank them for their generosity and time."

"...And if she _doesn't_ win against the speed demon living in the troposphere? What happens then?"

Buzz affirmed, "She'll break it. She's been practicing hard for the past two weeks, day and night. And even if she doesn't break the barrier, Lodestar Week will go on as planned, extra proceeds or not. This was an idea brought up by Madame President to drum up excitement and inspire everyone to donate. And show the good citizens of the galaxy her newfound Rover abilities and undoubtably motivate other upstanding citizens to join the Space Ranger Corps."

"Oh, uh.. well, I knew that."

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Mira asked, "So did she say which campaign she was going to pick?"

"No, not that I'm aware of. And her team doesn't know either. From what Ty has told me, she's remained tight-lipped about her choice."

"Hey, where is Ty anyway? I don't see him or Simone anywhere." Booster was correct; Pix was the only Ranger out on the whole race track with no teammates to cheer her on.

"I don't know, but we can ask her after we have her help. So let's go ask for it."

* * *

Just one more lap to go.

Low to the ground. Eyes to the center. Ears and heart open. Ready. Set.

GO!

Like a rocket, she blasted off, leaving a trail of dust behind in her path. She could feel the wind shrill in her ears and blaze her fur as she tore down the earth beneath her feet. She ran as fast as her feet could take her around the track.

A hurdle approached her on the track. Time to jump it.

It was coming in fast.

She licked her smirking lips in determination.

She narrowed her eyes.

She haunched forward and then...

She leapt high into the air, over the hurtle.

The hurtle was within sight and it was beginning to shrink underneath her.

Now it was underneath her. She was over the hurtle!

The ground was approaching fast for her to land.

The finish line was just in view.

She grinned and skidded on the sides of her heels, coming to a complete and smooth stop-

"Pix, slow down! We need you for a mission!"

Too late. She ran smack into a red and scaly brick wall.

She fell backwards, temporarily dazed.

"Golly, Pix! I didn't meant to get in your way like that! Are you okay?"

Seeing stars for a second or two, she shook her head to snap out of her daze, swept her layered 'hair' bangs out of her face and glared up at Booster, slightly curling her upper lip in the process. "Oh I'm just _fantastic_. What's the idea of gettin' in my way while I'm practicin' for the event tomorrow?!" She wasn't addressing just Booster; she could see the rest of Team Lightyear coming towards her.

XR countered back, "Speak for yourself, furball. You nearly rammed us over!"

"...I did?" She tilted her head.

"Yes!"

Buzz held up a hand to quell the confrontation. "Take it easy, you two. This is no time to fight. Pix, we need your help."

"Help?" She raised a brow as she got to her feet. Dusting herself off, she asked, "What's so important that ya had to stop me to need _my_ help?"

"We need you to sniff out a mystery crook's trail at the Museum of Ancient History. There was a break-in last night, and we want you to find us something that can tell us who our burglar is."

Pix tilted her head in her typical canine way, her annoyance dwindling. "Huh? Well, why do you want me to come? Couldn't you get him to find anything or is one of his sensors busted again?" She hooked a thumb towards XR, the testy latter squinting his eyes.

Pausing for a minute, Buzz began to wonder if getting Pix to help them was such a great idea; he forgot how blunt (and rude) she could be. But he laughed as if she was joking and answered, "We need your help because you've got the best nose in all of Star Command. And we couldn't find anything that told us who violated Intergalactic Penal Code 9-54: breaking and entering."

"Except that it was an ex-bounty hunter who went double agent...or triple agent. Whatever."

"What? A bounty hunter? But I thought you said-"

"What XR means is, we _think_ that the criminal may have been a mystery bounty hunter that used to work for Zurg before he, uh...disappeared, shall we say. We've ran into him before. XR was able to pick up on the suit he was wearing, but even with his advanced DNA scanner, we're not exactly sure if it's our man or if it's someone else dressed up as him. That's why we need you to sniff the tracks to confirm our suspicions."

That seemed enough reason for Pix, much to everyone's relief. "Oh. Well, even though I'd stay here and practice some more, I'll go change back into my pure canine form then."

"Hey wait, can't you just do your job in your cano-sapien form? It'd save you time from going over to the transdogmafier to change back."

"Eh, I could, Mira, but some old habits die hard." She shrugged before stretching out her arms and legs. "Let me work out some kinks first. I never had to run anything like that in my Rover form before."

"But you didn't do a lot of things in your Road Rover form before," Booster innocently pointed out.

"That's 'cause you guys weren't there much when I had to kick it into high gear, and I had to do all sorts of crazy things. Some of which were awesome and other things.." she shuddered, "I'd sooner forget."

It was true; Team Lightyear themselves didn't interact much with their new dog humanoid allies, the Road Rovers, the last time they were present, but they proved themselves as valuable comrades when they assisted Pix's team with an important mission regarding the Rhizomians and rescuing one of their own canine comrades.

And normally, the cano-sapien went running around in her pure quadruped canine form, but thanks to the Road Rovers and their technology, she could now transform back and forth between her two forms with the help of the transdogmifer, but she could only use the machine for emergencies.

Or special events, whichever came first.

After she was done stretching, she said, "Okay, I'm done! I'll get to the transdogmafier now."

Buzz grinned. "Great! We'll wait here until you get back then. Oh, before you go, I have a question for you."

She was getting ready to hunch down on all fours and take off for another run. Over her shoulder she answered, "Yes, sir?"

"Have you seen your team?"

"Oh sure! Last I saw 'em, they were talkin' with Commander Nebula and a few of the newbies inside the auditorium. Want me to retrieve 'em for ya?"

"No, no, that won't be necessary. We were just wondering where they were, that's all. If you do see Ty though, tell him I'll see him later after our museum investigation."

"No need to bear the message; Simone and I are right here."

Buzz recognized that dry but amiable tone. He flashed a friendly grin. "Ty! Simone!"

The team echoed Buzz's greeting. "G'morning!" "Hiya!" "Hi!"

Ty gave a small but smile back. "Hey there."

Simone's smile was bigger. She responded in a warm Outback-accented tone, "G'day."

Pix's smile was the biggest of them all. "Hi guys!" She stood up, jogged over to them and was greeted with a familial and brief ruffle on the head by Ty.

The leader of Team Parsec, Ty's tanned body build was smaller and leaner than Buzz's build was. But his large and brown eyes was a famous characteristic of his, as was his habit of maintaining his dark brow-reddish hair into a slick pompadour. He had one long leg crossed against the other in a casual manner, leaning against one of the hurtles on the race track.

Likewise, Simone was slender in a fair-skinned body frame, and just a few inches shorter than her leader. Her long and black hair was tied into a perfect mid-length braid which flowed behind her back, and made her easy on her cobalt blue eyes. Her thin arms were crossed against her abdomen as she stood on one heeled shoe, bending one of her knees for balance.

Booster complimented, "Gee, you guys sure look nice in your dress uniforms!"

Simone chuckled, "Well, thank you, Booster! I'm sure we'll all look nice and be ready to wow everyone at the ceremony. Isn't that right, sir?"

"As ready as I can be for Lodestar Week."

Indeed they were finely dressed. Unlike their Ranger comrades, the pair of them were not fitted in their noticeably bulky and standard armored space suits, but in much sleeker dress uniforms. Their coats were dark green, complimented with light green stripes on their shoulders and purple stripes circling around their humari. Their ranks were symbolized by light blue patches in the shapes of wings floating around a circle. Underneath both of their blue designs were golden line patches, to signify their years in the Space Ranger Corps. Both of them held two dark green caps in their white-gloved hands.

But that was where the similarities in their uniforms ended. Due to his own rank as Captain, Ty's patch was shaped in the form of a Star Cruiser flying in front of the winged circle. Simone's rank as Sergeant was symbolized through her patch, which possessed spiked wings but no rocketship. Hanging around their right shoulders were Infantry cords, but Ty's cord was colored golden to show he was a fighter on the field while Simone's was white and golden to symbolize her dual status as a field medic and fighter. To finalize the differences in aesthetics, Ty wore light green pants with purple stripes running down the sides and black Oxford shoes, while Simone wore a knee-length light green skirt, stockings, and black heels.

Ty asked, "So how's your training coming along, Pix?"

"Well, other than an _interruption_ or two-" Not completely over the incident, she shot a dirty glance towards Booster, who exclaimed an indignant 'hey!', "Not too shabby. I just finished my final lap for the morning, and I was about to go change back to help out Team Lightyear with an important mission."

"Right now? Which mission is that?" Simone asked.

Buzz replied, "There was a break-in last night at the Museum of Ancient History, and we think the culprit was a bounty hunter."

Ty's brow furrowed. "A bounty hunter? Who were they after?"

"Not _who_. _What_. The Eye of the Sun diamond and-"

Pix threw up her hands. "Wait a doggone second. You need my help to track down a jerk who stole a _crystal_?"

"That's what I said! Who wants to find some old rock that could-hey wait, did we just wholeheartedly agree on something?"

"I know, XR, I can't believe it either. Maybe there's hope after all," Pix dryly acknowledged.

"I know how peculiar it sounds, but from what we were told, the diamond is important because the diamond was used in a rare combination of aesthetics and functionality. It was used as a silent communication system before modern day communicators were invented."

Ty commented, "Well, that adds a twist to the case then. But I'm not sure I understand why a bounty hunter would break into the museum to steal that thing."

"Only one way to find out. Sir, I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to get to the museum sometime before the ceremony starts."

A little unaware of Mira's impatient edge, Buzz replied, "Good idea, Mira. Pix?"

"Ok, ok, I'll get to the transdogmifer now."

"Hold on, Pix," Ty said, a thoughtful brow raised. "I could use a little walk after being cooped up in the Academy and talking with cadets. Simone, up for a little trip to the museum?" After talking with a few of the new Academy students, he needed a breather before the real fun began.

"Sure, I would like that! Mind if we tag along with you all?"

Buzz grinned. "Of course not! The more, the merrier. We'll tell you more on the way, if you tell us how things went for you there."

Ty paused at Buzz's request, seeming unsure if he wanted to go through with it. But he finally came to a nod when he saw Simone smiling encouragingly at him. "Sounds fair. After Pix comes back, we can go to the museum and broaden our minds."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll be right back!" And then she took off, the dust chasing after the dustchaser, an appropriate reason for her species' namesake.

It was not even ten minutes when she returned back to the group, now back in her pure canine form, that of a fusion between the German Shepherd's strength and endurance, the jackal's cunning and speed and sleek Star Command mechanics, as the lower half of her body indicated. Through her purple collar, which allowed her to translate her thoughts into speech, she 'spoke', "Done!"

Ty remarked playfully, "I could say that was fast, but that's about standard for you. You ready to sniff out the crime scene?"

She barked, ready to go to work.

* * *

Peeking over the city skyline, the sun's rays slowly churned the sky into lovely hues of yellow and orange, its indigo stain evaporating away. The steel buildings' glow was but gentle, for the sun hadn't quite released its rays yet. The same could be said for some of the people; only a few would be awake by this hour.

Including a group of Space Rangers, with Pix leading the way up the stairs. Team Lightyear followed her, and they were followed by Team Parsec. The two teams managed to catch up on a number of events-Ty's team with Lightyear's latest mission at the museum, and Buzz's team with Parsec's duties at the Academy. Turned out that Team Parsec, minus Pix, were invited to come speak with a few of the new students at the Academy to not only welcome them to their first days as Rangers-in-training, but to also answer any questions the cadets might have had about the inner workings at Star Command: the upsides, the downsides, the in-betweens.

Ty was in the middle of trying to...dodge one interesting conversation he had with Nebula when all of the Rangers arrived to the museum sooner than expected. They found, much to the surprise and delight of Team Parsec, Elana Dendrite waiting for them all there.

"Well, well, if it isn't Team Parsec with Team Lightyear!"

Pix panted and grinned as she recognized her. "Elana!" She happily hopped over to the Rhizomian, where the latter greeted her with a ruffle on the head as she barked and wagged her cyber tail. Elana looked much more alert today; dressed in a white jacket over a lovely blue dress, she looked like she was ready to take on the day, whatever it would bring her.

"Well! I can see you're in fine spirits, Ms. Dendrite, in spite of the late call we made," Buzz observed. Those Rhizomians-always so upbeat and full of boundless enthusiasm.

"Why wouldn't I be? Just because the diamond is gone doesn't mean the day is. It's a brand new day, and a beautiful one at that."

Although Ty didn't know Elana too well, he was glad to see her here, as Simone was. Elana was friendly and helpful to them as ever, since the last time they all worked together on her homeplanet of Rhizome. Even though she was a bit of an oddball, they did like how laid-back and cheerful she could be.

"I'm glad to see you too, Pix. I must admit I wasn't expecting Team Lightyear and Team Parsec to be coming to the museum _together,_ but it's a wonderful surprise. Aren't you glad you waited, Ranger Parsec?"

Ty shrugged and smirked a little, "It depends on what's inside the museum, Ms. Dendrite. But you did catch us; Simone and I decided we'd take a break from our duties and come check out the exhibit you're putting on like you mentioned the last time we met. It's too bad about the diamond, though."

"Well, as frustrating as it is to see it gone missing, and even more frustrating because that _rotten_ bounty hunter ruined the surprises I had in store for this week," she momentarily sulked like a child not getting her way and surprising the Rangers with her mood swing, "I have faith it'll be found and returned in due time, even if it won't be in time for Lodestar Week." She smiled in earnest, bringing her wholehearted optimism forward again. "And we can certainly start the search now. Come on in!" With a hand, and sidestepping Pix's own bountiful energy, and after the teams moved on from her shift in moods, she waved for them to follow her inside.

Pix leapt inside after her, nearly falling on her paws. As she regained her balance, her jaw opened wide as she marveled at the grand essence the museum held in the form of its artifacts and ancient decor. "Whoa... _this_ is the museum?"

Elana giggled, "Well, not _all_ of it, but this is a generous portion of it, yes. Isn't it fantastic?" She opened her arms wide, exposing the beauty that was held before everyone.

Although only a few wooden crates were still out, and opened, the room looked showroom new ready. Beams of gentle sunlight reflected through the stained glass windows, bathing the room, objects and people in gold and white, blue and green. The room's holiness made even the tallest spectator of them look on in awe.

Simone quietly admired, "It's so beautiful! I'm glad we took our break to see this..."

Except for an initial critic.

"Pft. Big deal. So this is a bank vault for every treasure...although some of those treasures-I mean, objects, look appealing to check out. Maybe this trip isn't so bad after all!" XR's eyes glittered with greed as he spotted the valuable relics standing on pillars near the tapestries. He was so taken in with his daydreams that he didn't notice the stern stare Elana served him. But Mira did, and she was quick to give a small shake of XR's shoulder.

"XR! We're here for a case, not for tourism! Uh, n-no offense, ma'am." Elana shrugged in response and mellowly offered a, 'none taken!'

The robot straightened himself up and turned to Pix, and as though she were a showroom dog being presented before a dog show judge, he gave a little bow and presented her to Elana. "Right. Well, Ms. Mutt, do your thing." He got an unimpressed whiff of dog breath fogging up his helmet before she joined Elana. He rubbed it off, muttering under his breath. "Let's get this over with."

And so the Rangers took them to the room where the crime took place last night.

"Sweet Mother of Venus... what a mess!"

"I'll say. Looks like our man made good time," Ty agreed with Simone.

"He did," Buzz said as he walked over to the rubble left over by the room. "But we've got the best nose here with us. We'll find out whoever did this now. Ty?"

"Right. Pix! Search and find."

"Aye-aye, Captain Parsec!" She threw her nose to the ground and started to sniff as only a dog could do. Everyone stood out of her way as she followed the trail of the mysterious bounty hunter. She circled around the rubble, climbed over the debris and even on the pillar, all the while keeping her nose attached to the floor.

"Huh?" She shot her head straight up as she caught something near the pillar. She sniffed it gingerly, making sure that what she found was real.

Mira asked, "What is it, Pix? What have you found?"

"I found a trail, alright. But it's a really weird trail." She lifted up her head to look at all. "It's like..." She stuck out her tongue and looked upwards, as she thought on how to describe her finds. "The scent almost smells like...Buzz. And yet it ain't Buzz at the same time. And also Commander Nebula. But there's somethin' else..." She went back to the hunt, but everyone was already ignoring her.

Ty blinked. Buzz was connected to this somehow? How? "'Buzz and yet not Buzz?'... what does that mean?"

"I don't know. Buzz, do you know what she means?"

Buzz internally bit the inside of his mouth to keep a straight face as Ty and Simone questioned him. Their questions weren't out of malice, but he still felt like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Mira patted Booster's hand, the latter biting his lip and becoming a Nervous Nelly. XR crossed his arms, awaiting someone to say something.

Luckily, Elana punctured the tension in the air as she brought everyone's attention back to Pix. "You were saying, Pix? I believe you weren't finished yet."

"Hold on a minute." She sniffed once more before she looked up. "Now I'm done. And I found another scent. I know who was here." Pix nearly leapt back as XR treaded over and flailed his arms in front of her, eager to know the answer.

"Well, don't leave us in suspense! Who's behind the mask?" He was pushed away as she nudged him away from her with her snarling head.

"Give me some room then! Okay, so get this: the guy behind Shiv Katall is..."

* * *

"Warp Darkmatter! Are you listening to me?!"

Company present and accounted for physically, but his mind was somewhere else. "Huh? What?"

Zurg shook his head and slammed his head into one of his claws. "Please, Darkmatter, don't be as incompetent as these nitwits are. I'm TRYING to tell you something important, but you seem all too happy to let your mind wander like a space rock! NOW. **LISTEN. _UP!_** "

Immediately Warp stood to attention like he was back at Star Command. He was already expecting Zurg to yell again, but he didn't. Zurg seemed to have taken a deep breath and calmed down...slightly. The Grubs and Brain Pods breathed collective sighs of relief and went back to their duties.

After they left Pax, they made a beeline for Planet Z, just as Zurg ordered. The musty red planet was home to his own Z tower, his magnificent throne as big as his own ego and tyranny. Now, he was sitting high and pretty, overlooking everything that happened within his throne room inside the horned tower. The throne's metallic floor was shiny and a blue cold to the touch, as cold as the large 'Z' emblem branded in the middle of it for all to see. Nearby, a large red technological orb and a glass tank filled with orange globs of goo stood by, two of the many pieces of the state-of-the-art technological systems Zurg had installed into his throne room to make his ideas grow and come to life. Grubs and Brain Pods dashed to their stations within the room, keeping the systems operating at all times and completing other tasks their employer assigned them. Keys on keyboards clicked away, electricity sizzled inside the machines, footsteps pounded against metal-all sounds of progress. But the most important feature lay in the middle of the entire room: a grey and green chair put on a high platform, marking Zurg's royal and prestigious role.

"As I was saying, We have an important visitor coming to visit my most humble tower."

"A visitor? Whereabouts from?"

Zurg's green-teethed mouth pulled itself into a bemused smirk as he chuckled. "Wouldn't you like to know. Do you remember the probe I launched a month ago? After the encounter we had with those new flea-ridden friends of Star Command's?"

"How could I forget? They had a very dangerous-and gorgeous-enemy." This earned Warp a roll of the eyes.

"Of course. How silly of me to forget your affections for his lady partner...who, by the way, _shot you_ down."

Warp shrugged, although he was still smiling and lusting. "It was worth a try. I'll win her feisty heart someday. I like a challenge."

"Yes, well, in the meantime, here's my own challenge I would like you to take: be on your best behavior for when our guest arrives. You see, she answered our probe and has decided to make contact with us. She comes from very far away, outside of the Galactic borders, so it is important we make her feel at home away from home."

Warp looked at his boss like he'd suggested that he was going to become a Space Ranger. "Wait ... _Outside_ of the Galactic borders? From some new planet that not even Star Command has catalogued?"

"From some new _galaxy_ that Star Command, any of our evil comrades, or even the Valkyrans have ever catalogued. It'll be quite a new record to break for our side, if I can humbly say so myself."

"...A new galaxy?"

"What are you, a parrot? Yes, another galaxy far away from here! She's a most special visitor, I might add. It's not too often we get a lot of those around here!"

"...Well, who is she..? Wait, you're not gonna make me guess who she is, are you?"

Zurg shook his head. "Pft, why would I do a thing like that when it comes to guests? It would be ill-mannered of me if I didn't inform you of her great importance. She expects to be treated like the queen she is-evil and cruel to all who stand in her way."

"Whoa, get out! A queen? What's her-"

"Ah, ah, ah! You're not to flirt with her, _mister_. She is too far out of your league. She's older than you and has no interest in romance." Zurg rolled his eyes when Warp uttered a disappointed, 'Craters'. "Now, if I may continue; she is a very significant member of royalty. She has no family, but she does have plenty of innocent bystanders to ensnare and make her own, but unfortunately, the great heroes over there have foiled her plans again and again: they've cut down on her supply of minions, which is one of the reasons why she's agreed to meet us over here. That, and she wishes to form an alliance. She needs to clear her head and get away from her galaxy for awhile. Heroes..." he shook his head again and huffed, "They ruin all the fun."

"When is she coming here?"

"I'm glad you asked. She's expected to arrive by this afternoon! Now we've got to get this place all spic-and-span and have it decorated; it's a mess!"

Darkmatter took one look around the clean room and thought otherwise, but he didn't press the issue. "And how do I fit into this?"

"Why it's quite simple: you helped take the tapestry down. And now...you get to put the tapestry back up! I want it hung high over my throne where she can see my glory shine through as we discuss all things evil and...Darkmatter, where are you doing?"

"Should have stayed at the temple," he muttered in between his teeth.

The man in question silently walked over to the nearest wall and started banging his head against it.

* * *

Buzz was tempted to go find a wall and throw his head against it. It wasn't a mistake bringing Pix here.

It was a _big_ mistake. He mentally berated himself for not thinking about this sooner. Thinking quickly, he exclaimed, "I knew it! Darkmatter _was_ behind this."

"Well that's all fine, Ranger Lightyear. I'm glad we have found our culprit, but I still don't understand. Why is your scent found in Shiv's armor?" Elana looked over at the dog, who merely shrugged.

"Yeah, I'd like to know myself. Craters, we were all told that he was the most dangerous hitman in the quadrant and yet only... only you or Commander Nebula were allowed to track him down." Ty didn't realize this truth until now, and to fully acknowledge this? It was both shocking and yet somehow not.

Buzz was starting to feel hot under the collar when Simone unintentionally provided a way out for him. "Well, I wouldn't put it past Zurg if he hired Darkmatter to impersonate him or Commander Nebula for his own gain, even going as far as to conceal his own DNA by using Buzz's, the Commander's or even some anonymous DNA strand Zurg found or created. Although what he would want to do with the diamond is still a mystery in itself, as is why he'd want to go through all of the effort to cover his tracks."

"And that first mystery should be the _only_ mystery that needs to be solved, instead of wonderin' why Buzz is connected to Shiv Katall, Ranger Caldera." Everyone in that room knew that gravelly and hardened tone. They turned around fast and saw their fearless leader, Commander Zebulon Nebula, standing in the doorway.

Although getting on in years, as evidenced by his silver brow and large mustache, the bronze-tanned human elder could still hold his ground with the best of the Rangers. His lost left leg, which had been long replaced and refashioned into a formidable peg leg cannon, was also proof of his resilience. Like Ty and Simone, he too was not wearing his standard Space Ranger uniform with the official symbol of Star Command engraved into gold on his chest. His dress uniform bore many similarities, but also key differences, with one main difference established by the badge on his broad chest and cap showing his rank-a Star Cruiser standing in front of a ringed orb with wings.

Was Buzz ever glad to see him. "Commander!" Every Ranger, with the exception of Pix who just stood straight and strong, immediately saluted in respect while Elana bid Commander Nebula a friendly 'hello' and nod. He returned the gesture and ordered, "At ease, Rangers." He hobbled over to them all and he said, "It seems I got no choice but to tell Team Parsec and Ms. Dendrite about Shiv Katall."

"My goodness, I get to hear a Star Command secret? I'm honored!"

Commander Nebula gave one stern look at Elana. "It won't be a secret anymore if word of it gets out, Ms. Dendrite. Now I know you've talked me and Madame President into allowin' Lightyear and his team to come back here to solve the case when they have the time today, but that doesn't mean you get any more than that, and what I'm about to tell you for the sake of this museum. This is classified information I'm about to give you. It's no laughin'... I mean gigglin' matter here."

"You needn't fear me, Commander Nebula. I'm a Rhizomian who once kept her mouth closed for three days for a dare without eating or drinking! I've done it before and I can do it again." She beamed at him, much to his confusion.

And everyone else's as they all shared the same bewildered line of thought about the...random curator.

Ty and his team were no strangers to Elana's behavior, but he had to raise a brow at that piece of information she brought up about herself. He hadn't recalled her ever making any comment like that before.

Before he had a moment to give her any more thought, Commander Nebula brought Ty's attention back to what was truly important: the answer to this Shiv Katall riddle.

He cleared his throat. "'Bout a few years ago, Shiv Katall was a bounty hunter, but he was also a double agent, on behalf of Star Command. Once in a while, one of Zurg's minions worked up the will to defect. When that happened, Zurg'd call upon the galaxy's dangerous hitman to track 'em down and atomize 'em. But he didn't know that Shiv Katall was myself, or Buzz when I passed the role onto him; we'd meet the target at a secret location, shuttle them out of Zurg space, and then enroll them into the Zurg Defector Relocation Program, where they can spend their new lives however they want, with Zurg assumin' the target's been vaporized when Shiv tells him so."

Those who weren't Team Lightyear regarded the story with awe, shock, and intrigue. Nebula took that as a cue to continue on while they remained stunned. "Unfortunately, Zurg found out about Shiv's true identity and the whole thing had to be scrapped, and so did the armor...before it was obviously found again." The man forced himself not to give a certain stink eye to Mira and Booster and XR, but they could already feel his sting.

"Wow! So you and Buzz helped out Zurg's cronies escape from his wrath? I didn't know there were any Grubs or Brain Pods that ran away from Zurg with their tails in between their legs. Always thought a lot of 'em stayed true and loyal to their master like the cowards they are."

Nebula raised a brow at Pix's eloquent description of Zurg's former henchmen. "We've helped out a lot of 'em adjust to their newfound freedoms over the years. And believe it or not, we still keep in contact with 'em to make sure they haven't been found by Zurg."

"Huh. That's neat... but what 'bout Darkmatter? I mean, you never said anythin' about him knowing about Shiv. if the plan was scrapped after Zurg found out 'bout it, then that means Warp never found out 'bout it either, right, sir?"

Nebula sighed. "I can't give the answer to that, Pix. I don't know how Darkmatter got ahold of the suit, or how he slipped under XR's radar. I can only guess that maybe it's somethin' he or Zurg threw in there to avoid Star Command eyes for whatever trick he's got up his sleeve, considerin' he's learned a few tricks from us in recent years..."

Nebula exchanged a knowing and rare concerned frown with Buzz. At first Buzz didn't seem to understand what his leader was saying, but the more he thought about it, the more he eventually realized the meaning behind Nebula's words and he too grew concerned. Much to the confusion of their fellow Rangers.

But Nebula snapped back to business and said, "But until we sort that out, it's business as usual.

Right now, the main objective is to locate Darkmatter, find the diamond and bring it back to its rightful home... AND do our parts for Lodestar Week, which should be our top priority anyway. The public out there wants to see the Space Rangers out there, especially you lot. If people found out about this theft, they might get a little uneasy about security even if a gem was stolen overnight, and I don't want any on of them losing their heads over it.

No one else needs to know what happened here, except maybe Madame President. In the meantime, I don't want this information to leave these walls. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," was the collective reply from Team Parsec and Team Lightyear.

Elana asked, "Speaking of duties, what time is it?"

Buzz opened up his communicator to look at the time. "It is... zero seven hundred hours. Why?"

"...Huh? How is it seven hundred hours?"

Ty corrected, "That's Star Command talk for seven in the morning."

"Ooooohhhhhh. I see. Well, I'm glad I asked then! I need to go finish getting the museum ready now, so I must leave you all. I'll be sure to block off the area where the diamond was so no one else may enter until it's been found. Remember, the doors are open any time you'd like to come on in for work, or just for a friendly chat. And don't worry, Commander Nebula; I assure you that I will not allow anyone to know of this particular secret. Farewell for now!" She gave the Rangers one more friendly nod before she left the room to attend her own duties.

Nebula nodded himself. "Alright then. Buzz, since you and your team have solved this part of the crime, you and your team better go get ready for the ceremony. You can come by later if you'd like to see if you can find anything else. Team Parsec, I want you all to come with me and meet up with Madame President. I want everyone ready to pay their dues to her and the rest of the senators."

XR commented, "You mean pay lip service to the political bigwigs? Not my favorite line of work, but at least it gives us free exposure, that much I can say."

"...Just get out of here, will ya?"

* * *

"Are you done yet?"

"No." A few more whacks on the wall before Warp stood away from it and recovered. "Okay, I'm done. So you want me to hang this tapestry up after all of that work to impress this _queen_? Next thing you'll be telling me to do is go and schlep more laundry baskets to the laundry room, I'll bet."

"How'd you guess?"

"..."

"Oh come on, do you think I want to have her seeing my dirty laundry out? Oh, no, no! That will not do!"

Warp looked like he'd sooner barf. "You sure there isn't another object I can steal?"

"No. Besides, according to our time-com here..." He briefly checked one of the nearby machines for the present time. "Lodestar Week shall be starting within a few hours. Every Ranger will be present and accounted for at the opening ceremony, which means that even the great Buzz Lightyear will be too occupied with his adoring public to want to come and look for us. He'll be too distracted to even try and make contact with our guest; she's our main focus for now and we need to see to it that the place is ready for her arrival."

"Uh, I'm not missing something here, am I? Because I'm pretty sure that would be a great time to go ahead and make our next move while everyone's too busy with the Space Rangers performing for them like animals in the Saturn Ringsling's Circus."

"Why, and give away the plan so soon? No. We need to keep things prioritized. Rule number seven on the Evil Emperor's Guide to Running an Empire. Now, get some Hornets together and hang this tapestry up. I have to make a few calls over the vid-phone. I need to check in with one of our agents to have them spying on all of the Lodestar Week action!"

And so Zurg left, leaving Warp to wonder the validity of Zurg's plans.

* * *

In the dark red launch bay of Planet Z's headquarters, a sinister figure lurked in the _Striker-Z_.

It lurked, and it watched. It watched and it waited. It waited and waited. It waited and-there!

An insignificant bug in a red suit was busy sweeping the floor with a long broom, humming a light-hearted song on his earphones and music player and minding his own business.

It stared at the Grub with its soulless eyes.

It slid out of the ship's hold and crawled along the floor.

It grew.

It stood.

It towered.

And it struck.

The Grub screamed as the creature squeezed his throat and opened its mouth wide, as though to swallow him whole.

The creature's hands glowed red, and the Grub glowed red.

The last thing the Grub saw before he saw his former life flash before his innocent eyes was that of a red skeleton and black dead eyes. The music faded away...

...And the creature slowly reformed its red energy into a more recognizable form. A red skeleton dressed in a Western wanderer's clothing, with a hat plucked from a scarecrow sitting on his head. His dark green poncho floated behind him as he stepped over the withered insect corpse, his boots crushing the creature's earphones by force and ending the music player's lifespan.

His first words in his current form.

His raspy and sickly words since his long journey.

"Finally, my strength is slowly returning! I will come for them... and they will know me.

The Scarecrow has **_returned_**!"


	5. Chapter 3: The Ghost Morning, Part One

**Chapter Three: The Ghost Morning, Part One**

* * *

The Scarecrow was laughing; despite the grimy little morsel he needed to feast upon to survive, his strength came flowing back through his thin veins, all through his arms and legs and head. He was able to travel in a physical form once again.

But despite his good fortune, he still felt incredibly weak.

He needed more.

So he stopped laughing and resumed his search.

He started off by taking in his surroundings - an empty and round launch bay designed with flair in mind, with the door lining as the victim. Stylized art deco lines adorned the only other way in or out of the bay - the main threshold. A clean fuel source within polished metalwork, too clean for an aroma to be detected with the nose, shone its crystal light upon the walls. Red walls at that. Red of many hues and levels of fury almost blinded the Scarecrow, had it not been for his sunken in eyes and unholy state of being. And had it not been for his fearlessness, he would have become nervous at the sight of what appeared to be a large weapon with its twin thin barrels attached to its bulky body.

But he was merely wary. Inspecting from a safe distance, he concluded that it was a hand-operated weapon, thanks to his noticing a small control panel in front of a cockpit and seat. The seat was empty.

But the most significant point of interest to catch his eye was the yellow 'Z' emblem on one of its sides.

An important indication of who owned this place, no doubt.

Thanks to the one called Darkmatter's mutterings to himself inside his own ship, the Scarecrow overheard the name and instantly recognized the owner behind the letter.

Zurg.

A figure vital to Darkmatter, and to these measly fledglings. A ruler over a vast empire with multiple connections to resources and spies.

Perhaps he could become vital to the Scarecrow as well.

Give him exactly what he needed to return home to face his ancient foe.

And bestow upon him what he lost so long ago.

He made a beeline for the entryway, prowling along the edges of the red pathway.

He did at one point glance down the bottomless gaps as he navigated around them.

To which he grabbed the lifeless bug corpse he feasted upon and threw it down to measure how far down one of the holes went. They went far, for he barely heard a sickening thud when it finally hit solid ground.

So it seemed he would have to be especially careful while exploring this place. Traps and hidden surprises could very well be lurking around every corner.

He had to be ready.

And he would be now.

He instantly heard a stampede of mechanical steps stomping all together, a metallic elephant.

As soon as he was able, the old skull threw his back against one wall. His hand automatically went for his black gun holster and he pulled out his silver revolver. He held it with both of his hands near his person.

He tensed and waited to fire.

And there he saw them: ten bipedal clones of yellow and black robots resembling insects all marching in twos in the ocean blue hallway. Their triangle faces were captured by green tinges of lights as they walked by the floor lights. He watched them march in perfect unison, moving their thick limbs left, left, left right left.

They weren't alone.

They were accompanied by a brain.

A creature resembling a cyborg and an experiment gone wrong, its human brain encased inside of a clear glass case and attached to a purple mechanical body like that of a tank, rolled on three black wheels alongside the tiny army. "That's right, Hornets, let's keep on marching! We still have work to do around this place!" Its voice was incredibly nasally enough for the Scarecrow to want to shoot him down and silence him. But he thought better of it.

There was a much better use for him.

He waited until the brain and 'Hornets' as they were called passed before he made his move.

Jumping out of the room and into the hallway, the Scarecrow aimed and fired at one of the robots, shooting through its chest and taking its life away. It fell to the ground in a smoking heap. The other robots and shocked brain turned around to meet him - a deadly gunslinger.

The Hornets instantly lifted their arms up and transformed them into cannons of their own, but the Scarecrow was faster.

By the time the brain finally reacted, his fate was sealed. He didn't have anyone to protect now that the mystery shooter took out the Hornets. "Sweet Mother of Ven - "

He wanted to scream but his voice left him. The last thing he felt before the specter grabbed him in a blaze was his own life whipping by him. And pain. Glowing hot white pain, and it was clear to see the gauntly thing was taking pleasure from his misery, for it glowed and smiled unpleasantly.

But he blissfully felt no more.

And his body fell to the ground next to the fallen Hornets, no longer surrounded by a white glow.

He was replaced by another brain - himself.

The Scarecrow glowed a bright white before shifting and changing his decayed appearance to that of a Brain Pod.

The "Brain Pod" inspected himself briefly. He stretched his long limbs, flexed his red fingers, and felt the top of his glass dome. He turned his 'head' to glance behind him and it was there he noted the number pressed into the metal body.

The number 14 in gold lettering over a red center.

He was one of many Brain Pods, but this specific one he absorbed the information from was unique in its own way - he knew _exactly_ where Zurg was located at this very instant. If he could grin, he would have.

The old skull slunk and stuck to the hallway walls, slithering ever so quietly, his way through this palace.

* * *

Colorful colonies of tents, booths and stages spread out across the white-canvas plaza, stretching about a mile or so all the way to the piers over the Greater Western Sea. Vendors inside the tents or booths and on the stages catered to one service or another: food and drink, games, merchandise, recruitment, free resources, education and musical entertainment. Flags waved proudly above the tents in the cool breeze, all decorated with Star Command's colors: green, white, blue, golden and purple.

Music varying in the widest ranges of genres imaginable, from the big band and country of old to the rock and synthwave of new echoed above the air as musical artists practiced and set up for their future concerts.

A mixture of perfumes wavered through—delicious foods cooking and being made over grills, kettles and juicers. Refreshing saltwater drifting inland from the sea. A fusion of earthy and electrifying fuels powering up Star Command technologies and spacecraft.

Light clouds hovered overhead in the clear blue sky, and the day brimmed with warmth. The sun seemed to make everything shine from the inside and out, bringing out the best out of all who worked or attended. Underneath the water-stained piers, the calm water sparkled, gently flowing to and fro in its movement.

The excited atomic energy from the large crowd, its particles composed of many diverse civilians and Rangers in the galaxy, flowed among the flags and air as they chattered, chuckled and clucked while preparing themselves and setting up their tables for whatever today would bring.

It was all a slice of rare life where the usually busy metropolis was taking the time to slow things considerably down while still maintaining its hustle and bustle attitude.

Two Rangers in question decided to take advantage of this picturesque event before the day officially began with the President's blessing.

With reasons pertaining to privacy from celebrity-seekers for their respective accomplishments and reputations, they sought refuge away from the crowd underneath a tree that had its leaves clipped away into round and smooth saucer shapes. A wild circle of rosemary, coral aloe and red aloe plants provided that seclusion by surrounding the tree and men. They sat on a rusty bench in the tree's shade watching everything and everyone moving accordingly to their inner clocks.

Two small paper cups of water, given to them for free by one of the vendors, sat by their sides to keep them company. Stationed underneath the tree and a few feet away from the two Rangers was a round and aluminum trash can, with a little turquoise-colored bird nesting on top of it and happily tweeting away to its feathery comrades.

The bird's feeling was mutual for one of the Rangers. A joyful breath inhaled in and a joyful audible breath out. "Smell that? _That_ is the smell of justice, freedom and hope, celebrated by the good people of the Galactic Alliance." That was Buzz, who changed into his own dress uniform (although he still kept his trademark purple coif over his head), just as Commander Nebula instructed him and his team to. His arms stretched against the bench as he smiled and relaxed.

"...You sure it's not fresh hot dogs you're smelling?" That was Ty, who hung his arms over the bench's backrest. "They smell _so_ delicious when they're cooking in the heat, all of that tender meat made out of-"

"Okay, okay, stop! I thought I told you to never bring that up again in public, Ranger. You know I can't stand 'em! They're so..." Buzz grimaced in disgust. "...Chewy."

Ty chuckled. "Alright I'll lay off. So how is it freedom and hope you're smelling here?"

"Take a look. Everyone who's a citizen or a senator is here, coming from the farthest corners of the Galactic Alliance to be out here today. Here to celebrate the good times and, of course, to honor Star Command's legacy." Buzz picked up his hat, which was parked next to him on the bench and examined it, checking for any specks of dirt or dust. "It's my favorite week of the whole year."

"So you've said every year. It's like the Holiday times seven for ya."

"There's a reason for that. It gives the citizens a chance to know the Space Rangers on a more personal level and to let them see and learn why we're the greatest force for all that is good and pure in the galaxy.

"And if we're lucky, like we usually are at these events, more citizens will sign up to be part of something bigger. More people equals a stronger Universal Protection Unit and a safer universe." He put the hat on his lap, content. Neither dirt nor dust could be found.

He missed Ty regarding him with an unreadable gaze. "And a happier Madame President and Galactic Alliance, no doubt." He wanted to say more, but thought better of it. Instead, he asked, "So not specifically related to what we're talkin' 'bout, but any further word on the case with Elana and that diamond?"

"Nope. Nothing new from the museum has cropped up since we left. And nothing from the LGMs' own search."

"The LGMs were there? When did this happen?"

"Nebula ordered them to do one more sweep sometime after we left, just in case there was something that we missed by accident. There wasn't anything, but I was thinking about headin' back there after the ceremony just to make sure nothing else has been stolen and, uh, to provide some security for the museum for a little bit."

"I'm sure it'll be fine. Don't you think we would have known if something else was stolen by now? Elana would have let somebody know about it like she did when that gem was stolen."

"Maybe, but this has got Zurg's fingerprints all over it. There has to be a reason why he wants that diamond, and what's to say he won't try stealing again? And besides, Lodestar Week is the busiest time of year here next to the Holiday, Star Command's Employee of the Month award and the annual Space Ranger Ball. Anyone can blend into the crowd to commit some sort of crime, even with so many Space Rangers stationed here. So we have to be on our guard no matter what.

"Especially if someone like Zurg or Warp is lurkin' 'round somehow here. You may not know this about me, but one of my hobbies happens to be studying Zurg's habits and weaknesses."

"Really? _Wow_ , I never would have guessed."

Whether he was aware of Ty's sarcasm or not, Buzz lectured, "Well, one of his habits includes dropping off the face of Capital Planet during this particular week. He's done this about every year as far back as I can recall. But I believe that it could be the perfect time for him to make a move anywhere even if it doesn't involve stealing.

He's a wily one, always making some unpredictable move and my Ranger instinct is never wrong."

Ty couldn't argue with him about that. "I get what you mean about Ranger instincts. But that does leave one burning question: if he doesn't bother Capital Planet during this time of year, why the sudden change of plans? And why not attack now if he's cooking something up grand and oh-so-evil?"

To his surprise, Buzz replied, "That's just it; I don't know why. I'm still studying up on him. He's an enigma wrapped in mystery, so they say. But I theorize that maybe he won't make his move because he knows it's not worth messin' with the Space Rangers. Not when many of our comrades are here, and a handful of them are on Star Command and the other planets and on high alert.

That, and he does like to keep a schedule of when to hatch evil schemes."

"He... _does_? He keeps a schedule?... Dare I ask, how does this schedule for plotting evil things work?"

"It's very simple. Today's Monday, right? Well, on Mondays, he doesn't plot anything sinister. He always hatches schemes on Fridays, and I'm always there to stop him! It's kind of a 'dance,' if you will, that we've worked out, although I'm not making it a goal to let people know. I don't want to seem like I'm showing off," he laughed.

"...Uh-huh..." Ty squinted his eyes. "And here I thought he just attacked at random whenever he saw fit in between meals," he scoffed. "So your instinct is telling you that something might happen _this_ Friday?"

"I don't think so, I _know_ so. If you'd like, I can give you a list of all of his habits, weaknesses and odd quirks so that you can be trained in the art of Zurg observation by the time Friday rolls around." After all, Ty had a few run-ins with the crime lord himself. Why not have the expert on Zurg give advice?

Immediately, Ty held up a resistant hand. "Uh, no thanks. You can keep the list for your own personal records. I'll just stick with learning by trial and error, with an emphasis on the trial part." He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what else his friend knew about the purple fruitcake.

"Suit yourself. But if you ever change your mind, let me know. I've got copies," Buzz assured.

In his head, Ty thought, " _Don't hold your breath_." But out loud, he replied, "Noted."

And he changed the subject again. "So are you gonna bring your team along to the museum once we're done with our duties at Capital Hall?" Ty picked up his own hat to check it over, then dropped the clean hat by his side where it resided before.

"Certainly! What's Team Lightyear without his rookies?"

A raised brow. "Rookies? Uh... Lightyear, aren't they a little old to be called that anymore? I mean, in case you hadn't noticed, they kinda have moved on from their first-year phases."

"I know they're not first-year cadets anymore, but they'll always be my rookies. I took them under my wing and helped raise them to be the fine Rangers they are today," Buzz affirmed with fatherly pride. "And I'll continue to do that part of my job."

Ty bit his lip, doing a very good job of keeping himself from gagging at that well-intentioned but schmaltzy reply. "Alrighty then. I guess I'll come with you too and bring Pix along, in case she's needed again."

"Good thinkin', Ty. I know Elana will appreciate that. But what about Simone? Won't she be coming?"

"No, she told me that she's been assigned to work at the aid station after Madame President gives her speech, so she'll have her hands tied."

"Ah."

The topic ran its course, and just in time too. The two men spotted a couple of footloose and fancy-free Space Ranger youths, two of whom were immediately recognized by Buzz, running by them in a hurry.

"Hey, Plasma Boy, slow down! Where's the fire?"

The orange-haired and red-slimmed teenager enthusiastically responded, "We're gonna go see a new band with Cadet Starla, Captain! We'll tell you about it later. Let's go, Petra!" Waving off a brief goodbye, he took off in haste with his pink-haired and green twin-antennaed girlfriend in tow.

Ty watched them disappear into the crowd. "Wonder where they're off in a rush to go see. Any idea who they're talking about?"

"Nope, although I did hear brief mentions from Sprocket that they're some sort of up-and-coming synthetic pop band. I don't know anything else besides that. But..." Buzz chuckled in amusement at the cadets' boundless energies. To be at that age and pumping so much zeal was truly memorable for him. "Those kids are already having a good time, and that's what matters."

"Hard to believe we were their age once; young and sometimes getting ahead of ourselves." Feeling the urge to quench his thirst, Ty picked up his disposable cup of water.

Buzz smirked. "Indeed. Some of us _still_ get ahead of ourselves." He directed his smirk at Ty, who paused as he realized what - and who - he was referring to.

The latter glared in indignation, the cup still near his mouth and prepared to drink.

Buzz laughed in response. "Now we're even...again." He sighed and leaned back against the bench, enjoying the breeze. Suddenly his face lit up as he remembered something he had to do while his time with his friend was free. "Oh, speaking of which! I wanted to ask you a question."

Ty didn't bother looking at Buzz before taking a sip. "What is it?"

One, two, three sips.

"How'd you like to be a guest speaker for today's Club Buzz event?"

Four-

"Hm - !" This time, Ty did gag.

* * *

From outside of the galaxy's borders and in between time's strokes...

They soared across the sea of stars, keeping behind their first lady at all times.

Leading the pack, she flew silently in spirit and physical form, but in thought... she burned with determination.

And _frustration_.

One too many times she lost her battles against her justice-obsessed enemies.

The last battle she engaged in with them, they overtook her fleet. With firepower and a mystical weapon from an unknown but powerful source.

Her desire to gain control of the planet and its Heart slipped from her grasp. It could have been the key to prolonging her reign to the very ends of the universe. But their initial rejection towards technology and refusal to join sides of the conflict was no more. Now they were at war with her, blending their old ways with new, and allied with many other planets of the defense line. They all stood as one.

Usually she could keep herself about ten steps ahead of those blasted Rangers, but not this time.

And that was what finally made her lose her temper and all sense of reason at what occurred.

Out of fury, she dismantled some her own minions with single strokes, for the victory cost her so much.

Ships.

Weapons.

Armies.

Slaves.

Access to classified computer information.

Her entire empire.

Trying to think about the people firmly caught in her web and forced to work for her without question failed to bring her any cheer or soothe her anger away. By the stars, even gloating about it to one Ranger she loved to hate in particular was hardly worth it.

Not when there were wounds to be licked, ghosts to be chased out and purposes to reconsider.

And time to count.

Time until hers would run out, the last thing she wanted to think about.

But thankfully, a quest to answer the call sent to her kept her mind free from such morbid thoughts.

The probe she received filled her hardened heart up with dark interest.

One evening, a metallic herald arrived while her Agents traveled around another planet to see how progress was on other conquered worlds, both to nurse her wounded pride and to keep the spineless inhabitants in line. Upon completing their rounds, her Agents received the probe. It came from out of somewhere, in between the levels of the universe. They brought it before her. None of them were certain about where it came from or who sent it until they activated it.

And when it was activated, the hopeful answer to her unveiled itself from its case.

There was a royal out there in the universe, looking for some other form of malevolence to connect to.

It was one of the reasons why she was interested to find him and meet him in person... assuming she liked what he had to say about subjects close to her heart.

Perhaps that was partly what she was on edge about -

She was meeting a stranger face-to-face in some uncharted territory outside of what was known to her. Even if she learned that he was born an emperor and raised a businessman, possessed his own league of spies and Agents like she did (albeit a different league of them), and also had a difficult time with a defense unit lead by Rangers, how would he react upon seeing her, her supernatural methods and her slaves?

Who was he in person? What was the galaxy he resided in was like? What were his resources he had in his arsenal? What else he was capable of besides attempting to spread his power across the cosmos?

The probe he sent her gave basic information on his name and background, but even then, probes hailing from some place far away were never easy to work with for storing any important amount of information when it had to travel over distances and distances of the starry seas.

Coming into contact with another member of majestic iron will like herself, no matter what form they took or where they were born was a whirling cycle of thoughts for her.

It could be both a blessing and a curse.

She felt blessed because she could finally have a moment of peace away from those annoying Rangers to sit and think and plan, as well as recruit aid for her cause. It would also be fantastic to see the technologies he used on his homeworld, and perhaps combine her knowledge with his. And she did want to see if this galaxy he lived in was full of the power sources she needed to expand her empire and make it stronger than ever. She also learned that when properly motivated, he could perform the most unspeakable methods of torture and agony on both the helpless and self-defended while keeping his business in proper working order through productivity and ingenuity.

Plus, it was good to know he held similar views about many topics close to her: lifestyles for the royally acclaimed, viewpoints on ethics and ways of ruling.

This didn't happen to often to her in her line of work.

She was used to doing things her own way and essentially, by herself.

But perhaps that was the reason why she was also feeling uneasy about the whole affair. Things could turn into a disaster.

After all, the princess of the planet she almost succeeded in conquering managed to convince her father about the terrors that could have been brought about should he have yielded to the tyrant. The other times when she attempted to join forces with those who were just as powerful as she, those partnerships usually lasted for no more than hours or even a day, due to her partners succumbing to their own sins of greed or other interests.

Not to mention that for as long as she could remember, she held herself responsible for her rise to power with her own resources and strategies, using all she had at her fingertips to conquer her own home first before advancing her power across the solar system.

No one else was there, save her own slaves of course, and she liked it that way.

But would he be the same way as she?

Would he yield to her?

Would he rebel against her?

She didn't know. All three of those questions had no easy answers.

If he proved himself true and reliable, then there was nothing to fear.

But if he proved himself traitorous...

She did not want to suffer yet another blow so soon after her latest failure with the Rangers.

But in these current days of fighting for survival, she ultimately decided, some risks needed to be taken.

And she would take them, in another galaxy where there were many lifeforms to take for her own.

Her tyranny was not done yet.

* * *

The little bird previously on the trash can flew away, frightened by the commotion.

Buzz's hand hovered near Ty's back. "You alright, buddy?"

To tame his diaphragm, Ty inhaled in and out a few times. When that didn't work, he took another sip of water, only much slower and that did the trick. He placed his now-empty cup back down and waved off Buzz's question. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine. But did I hear you right? You want _me_ to drop by Club Buzz as a guest?" A guest speaker at the most celebrated club of all time devoted to the Pride of Star Command?

"That's right. The Ranger Scouts and kids at the club have heard about your recent exploits with your team, and they want to hear more about it. You _are_ a legend too, y'know. And you can show off your legacy by telling those stories. You can even bring Pix if you'd like - "

Ty's eyes suddenly looked ancient. He scoffed, "Legacy? What legacy? I'm not _that_ special."

Buzz looked genuinely hurt. "You are in your own way, Ty."

The ancientness was gone, and was replaced by guilt. "Well... I appreciate that compliment, but why me? I don't really have much to say about what happened. My team and I just did what we needed to do, that's all.

And besides, what about your team? Won't they be there with you?"

More cheerfully, Buzz explained, "For a little bit. They'll get the chance to mingle and share their greatest adventures with the next generation of Ranger Scouts and Ranger admirers. But we can only be there for so long because we've got our other duties to attend to, both before and after Club Buzz."

"Which are?"

"I'll be revealing the latest in Star Command technologies and space suits designed by our own LGMs, which are a spectacular work of art I'd like to add," Buzz confided to Ty behind a secret hand. "Mira and Fop are going to be answering questions about Tangea and also giving tours on our Star Cruisers, Booster and Flarn will be handling the recruitment booth, and XR will be working with XL and Commander Nebula's desk on the merchandise."

Ty blinked. "Come again?"

A shrug. "People want Star Command memorabilia, we have to give it to them."

"No, I know that, but why's Nebula's desk going to be there?"

"Nebula can't keep an eye on XR, so he's sent the desk to do his job. You know how XR gets about money. But he is good at selling products, so that's why he's working there."

Ty held back a sigh. "...Figures. So then where does that leave me in this equation?"

Buzz granted Ty an encouraging grin. "Well, like I've been sayin', it leaves _you_ a window of opportunity to talk about yourself—your own entanglements with the Chlorm, saving the lives of other Rangers, and meeting a group of humanoid dog creatures-"

"Road Rovers," Ty reminded.

"Oh, uh... yes. Road Rovers. But nonetheless, you still get the chance to tell the young ones what you've seen and done in your career as Captain Parsec." Buzz continued to remind Ty, "Let's face it, Ranger; you and your team were the first to meet other heroes that were gifted with tremendous power and put them to good use, which, to me, is automatically a lead-in for a great story. And let's not forget, no one else could have pulled off what you did to save Pix and Simone from certain doom back on that one mission on Pax."

Ty started to protest, but Buzz just kept going, apparently on a roll. "And most of all, you even were the one to help jumpstart the idea of having dogs working in Star Command as Rangers. Your partnership with Pix has been very successful and it helps Star Command be seen in a more softer and...well, human light. These are all great things you've accomplished, Ty, and you deserve to be recognized for them.

And don't worry about what happened with the... thing," he was taking great care not to announce out loud what he was really talking about, "The kids don't know anything about it at all and I've covered a few rules with them - they only ask about your recent accomplishments, not your long time agos back at the Academy and after that. That I promise.

"So how about it? Will you come to Club Buzz?"

"..." Ty was left speechless at this act of charity. It was undoubtably noble of Buzz to make this request, but there was something disconcerting here.

And not just because of his own great fear that someone at the Club might ask him more about his condition, regardless of Buzz's rules.

Although what Buzz said was true about his own actions, and he shouldn't pass up on this chance and risk disappointing kids and young Scouts due to both personal and professional reasons, a part of him didn't really want to make the effort to show up to yammer on about _his_ own efforts.

"..."

The grave silence was creeping under Buzz's skin. He figured his friend was still processing over what he had just been told, but he still didn't like the silence. He hated it when this happened.

Luckily for him, and for Ty in a way, they would be interrupted by a large presence accompanied by three smaller ones.

"Buzz! Ty!"

Both of them looked up to see someone jogging towards them-

Buzz greeted, "Hey, Booster! What's up?"

The big red giant, also donning his dress uniform with a comically tiny cap sitting in between his ears, came to a halt in his jog in front of the humans. He wasn't the only one.

Roughly standing at around two and a half feet, and dressed in their standard cool blue hazmat uniforms, were three Little Green Men. Or LGMs, as the tiny scientists and mechanics were normally well known within and out of Star Command. Panting in recovery from their short and waddled run alongside Booster, the three-eyed creatures' single clubbed antennae wiggled in excitement at seeing their hero and friend. Their long pointed ears stood erect and alert. Once they stopped panting, they greeted in a unified and smiling monotone, "Oooooooh Buuuuuuzzz." Their awe of Buzz was never in short supply.

"Hey there, green beans! How's it goin'?"

Booster interrupted with glee, "Guys, it's time! The ceremony's gonna begin soon!"

Buzz and Ty glanced at each other. Already?

To see if it was indeed that time, the two glanced over at the clock tower that was located behind their bench.

Measuring about two hundred or so feet in height, the chrome-plated tower, designed with a Gothic Revival design in mind, stood above ground. Its shiny clock face correctly indicated that it was time for them to leave. The hands quietly ticked as they moved over numbers and seconds, nearing to another time when the bell located from within would ring once more.

"Ah, so it is time." Buzz turned back to Booster. "Alright, Booster, thanks for letting us know. Go on ahead to Capital Hall. We'll meet you there!"

"You got it, Buzz!" He turned to his LGM friends. "C'mon, guys. Since you need to be there too, I'll take you with me." He lowered himself to their level, scooped them up into his arms and took off for the golden building.

The two friends watched them depart.

"Well, looks like duty calls."

"Yeah... heh. How about that."

Buzz thought for a minute. "Tell you what. If you can't give me your answer yet, do you want to think about it some more?"

Faster than Ty realized it, the answer leaked out of his mouth. "Yeah, if you don't mind." Thank the cosmos above that he was going to get a chance -

"Of course not, buddy. You can let me know after our meeting with Elana. Now let's go!" Buzz stood up, but not before taking a great big gulp from his water and disposed of his empty cup into the trash can. He grabbed his hat, smartly threw it up, and it landed squarely on his head.

He waited for Ty to get up.

The latter did.

Sighing quietly, he disposed of his own cup, retrieved his hat and smoothed out his pompadour before steadily dropping the hat on his head.

And together, Buzz and a hesitant Ty headed off to stand by their friends and Commander Nebula.

* * *

The Space Rangers lead the way, a parade of civilians and Rangers walking to Capital Hall together.

With the exception of one flamboyantly dressed human reporter standing in front of a cameraman. Both were off to the side, acting as the muses of the march.

Into his microphone, he introduced himself, "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! Brent Starkisser here LIVE in front of Capital Hall! We're at the scene of another historical moment for both the Galactic Alliance and Star Command!

For sixty-three years, this week has been all about paying homage to our own paramilitary unit - the Space Ranger Corps. And this year's Lodestar Week is no exception! It's a chance for Space Rangers to come relax and enjoy themselves on Capital Planet while showing us what life is like at Star Command, and for the citizens to meet and greet our men and women in uniform. Right now, we're seeing everyone heading to Capital Hall to listen to Madame President's welcome speech! Speaking of which, let's look in and see what's happening in the present now." Turning his back to the camera, he made a motion with his other hand for the cameraman to focus in on the herd as they traveled to Capital Hall together.

It was the headquarters for the Galactic Alliance and it was not difficult to see why.

The tower reached the sky, piercing through the clouds with its metal scales covered in gold and silver. Its roof was angular and flat. The overall body was painted in the former, but a mural of six chrome lines stretched from bottom to top on one side of it, almost resembling a folded up hand fan at rest. Totem poles of round shapes cut up into architectural rings and domes lined the left and right sides. Connected to them were square white shapes. In between the rings, glass windows mirrored the sunlight, glowing brightly. The windows up above the ground could not be seen from down on the ground, but exceedingly long windows could be seen by anyone in a rounded piece of construction in the shape of a helmet on the building's left side. The right side was smaller, only consisting of a half sphere shape and smaller windows.

Down below was the most important part: the threshold. In between two large rectangular bodies of water and six trimmed trees, a long red carpet rolled over from the end of the plaza to the top of the equally long staircase, all nineteen steps. Four Doric limestone columns held the weight of the round portico up above the doorway. The doorway was open and wide, and dark inside. Above the doorway was a similar design to that of the folded up chrome fan. At the very top of the staircase was a microphone, its long cord stretching down the carpet and into the building.

When every citizen, senator and Space Ranger that could be present for the opening celebration came to the base of the stairs, they separated and lined up into two groups. The left, for the Space Rangers to stand to attention, and the right, for the citizens and politicians to stand and observe. Neither side had to wait long.

Nearby, a clock tower struck its first chime out of nine, many turning their heads to glance between the tower and the top of the stairs.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

A group of individuals came out of Capital Hall, following behind one leader known to all for her no-nonsense attitude and her ability to speak her mind from across a mile or two.

Teal in skin, black on yellow in eye color and stocky in stature, she was Rozlin Ura—Madame President of the Galactic Alliance.

Although she appeared no differently than any other Vocalreedi, with her sporting light lavender-colored hair and two mouths which were both lipstick-stained, her proud stance spoke otherwise. Her hair was fashioned into a style almost resembling a hybrid of a queue and a pompadour, with one curl on both sides of her face and a long ponytail tied with a small maroon-pink hair bow behind her. The rest of her hair was swept high over her head. She sported a maroon-pink shirt vest trailing down from her shoulders to her knees, covering a light pink shirt, pair of deep purple pants and black shoes. The ruffle of her shirt collar flowed over her broad chest.

Nine.

Ten.

Eleven.

The clock tower grew silent.

But not the crowd.

When Madame President stepped into view, many clapped or cheered. Behind her, eight Space Rangers stood: the quartet of Team Lightyear on one side, the trio of Team Parsec on the other, and Commander Nebula in the middle. All appeared polished and decorative in their dress uniforms, with the exception of XR and Pix, due to their respective species' lack of need to wear uniforms. They held themselves with dignity in a rest parade position. All except for Pix, who settled for sitting straightly on her haunches and keeping her front paws close together.

Standing in front of the Rangers were five LGMs, all too happy to stand with their heroes.

After a moment of good cheer, Madame President tapped the microphone to test it. It was working fine, and so in a loud boom of a tone, she enthusiastically greeted, "Citizens, Rangers and esteemed delegates of the Galactic Alliance! It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to the sixty-third annual Lodestar Week!"

The crowd cheered again, their cries and whoops of joy spreading all across the plaza.

"Every year, we host this week to not only see and greet our active paramilitary vessels to Capital Planet, but to also honor the rich history and legacy behind the wheels of those vessels - the Space Ranger Corps.

Their determination to push themselves further by improving and strengthening their defenses for the good of others across the galaxy, and charting out new courses for us to see and become inspired by, has led us, the citizens and the Galactic Alliance, through victory and triumph over times of adversity and struggle. From the time of their birth and rise from the ashes of tragedy and sacrifice to their immortal presence and current roles as protectors, peace-keepers, explorers, scientists, teachers, allies, and role models, they continue to serve as the number one force for good!

And every year, as a way to give our thanks for all they do, no matter how large or small it is, we host this week and share in the experiences and lives they lead, and in a sense, add to that Star Command history that they take part in. And it is for this reason that we continue to add to that history for every generation that comes along, so that we will remember the things that have been done to keep our galaxy safe and free from the likes of evil, from those who want to take that away from us. We must never forget where we come from or where we are going for that reason.

So to the young or young in heart no matter what age, I ask you to keep this in mind when learning and getting to know about our Star Command personnel.

They are the keepers of the past, present and future.

And there is one such keeper who has a few things he'd like to say, the leader and head of the Space Ranger Corps, Commander Zebulon Nebula. Commander?"

Nebula nodded, everyone growing quiet in respect for the legendary leader of Star Command. He approached the microphone, with the President stepping aside to let the man speak his piece.

"Thank you, Madame President. And thank you all and welcome.

"Every year, as we've done in the past, we make this week a special one for all who serve at Star Command, no matter if they work out on the field as a Ranger, in the field as a scientist... or in the cosmos up above as guardians and beyond. Each of those individuals has found what it means to be part of something bigger, and what they can do to make our galaxy a safer and better place than before, just as those who came and served before Star Command came to be did.

The protectors before the Space Rangers took that first step into making the universe better by believin' that things could be better through their own sense of what was right and wrong - justice.

With their senses guidin' them at every turn, through thick and thin, they stood up for not only justice, but their freedoms, and the freedoms of others.

And by freely providin' a fire and reachin' out to the lost and alone people in the dark, they brought hope to those who had none, settin' a chain reaction and makin' things right.

Some of them have paid the highest price to defend those same ideals we fight for now: hope, freedom and justice.

So I ask you all to take a moment of silence to remember them and what they did for our galaxy."

For all, they lowered their heads to honor the dead.

For the many Rangers, they took off their caps and hats and held them near their hearts.

For the few, some of them dared to look into the sky to say thanks with tears in their eyes.

...

...

...

The moment passed, and everyone looked at Nebula again. The Rangers popped their caps and hats back on.

He cleared his throat.

"Wherever those protectors are in the cosmos, I bet they're glad to know that we still stand here today because of what they fought for and what we're doin' now. So let's celebrate those ideals!

And now, I officially give special thanks to our senators, sponsors and generous donors for their never ending support, and you for your faith in the Space Ranger Corps. I also stand here because we have the best and the brightest to ever come out of Star Command with us today, each of them representin' our core values in their own way. They have made things a little better than before for us all, each of them displayin' what it means to be a member of Star Command and a civilian of the universe. And so, in recognition for their fine work under all circumstances, off and on the battlefield, here they are! " He took a step back and motioned with a hand towards the small group of Rangers behind him.

All acknowledged him. And he acknowledged them by reading off their names, giving them permission to react however they usually did, and the crowd cheered as their names were read.

Buzz, the first one, grinned with assuring pride as he placed his hands on his hips. Mira beamed with equal pride and had her arms crossed behind her back. Booster grinned with boisterous spirit and gave a friendly wave to the public. XR grinned in a smug fashion, polishing his chest with the back of his knuckles. Pix wagged her tail and barked a few times, almost tempted with the energy to rear like a horse. Simone smiled and nodded, but tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. Ty, the last one, crossed his own arms behind him, and smiled wearily.

The captains of both teams didn't notice that their commander was regarding them with a different eye-undeniable confidence in the Pride of Star Command and uneasy vigilance for the Secret of Star Command.

Nebula returned to the crowd. "Star Command has always won every fight no matter the odds because we _never_ quit! And we will continue to lead on the good fight until the very end!"

The crowd cheered again, their cries growing in energy.

Nebula smiled a little, glad to see everyone's strong and evident faith. He turned back to Madame President, cuing her in to take her place at the microphone again.

The crowd cheered again, their cries soaring through the air and very well into space. Their enthusiasm was so loud that Madame President almost had a hard time trying to speak over them. "People, calm down! Let's not lose ourselves just yet." After they calmed down reasonably, she gave a...cryptic smile to Nebula. He recognized what he wanted her to do, and so he went over to XR and whispered something to where his ear would have been in his cylindrical head. XR understood and opened up his communicator to type something in.

While that was going on, the President continued.

"To kick things off, we will have Star Command's own flight demonstration squadron performing for you their latest flight display for the season!"

She pointed to the sky behind the crowds, and many turned. They knew what was to come.

"For over forty years, they've had the privilege of performing to the galaxy precision techniques of paramilitary innovation, all hoping to carve out new frontiers in aviation and beyond. The maneuvers you will see today are coordinated techniques developed by Space Ranger pilots in both peacetime training and actual combat. They're not stunts or daring feats but perfected methods. Here above the plaza, they will demonstrate these maneuvers at a very low altitude in Delta Formation so that you may see and take pride in the precise fashion in which they are trained to fly.

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, the White Ghosts of Star Command!"

Bursting out of the troposphere, five small jets, streamlined in appearance and painted in metallic white with black, flew in a Delta Formation, a perfect V-shape. Their engines roared across the skies. In their wake, Star Command white and green trails of steam and rocket exhaust blazed across the air scape. They soared higher and higher into the air, pushing themselves like there was no limit holding their mighty wings back. Over the buildings did they fly like eagles, over earth, air and sea.

They turned around and then each of the Ghosts split off from the group, all part of a plan to execute a 'fleur de lis' maneuver - flying in the shape of a fleur de lis.

Down below, the people cheered loudly as they could in appreciation for the spectacular feats the ships were pulling off.

They passed by.

"Now then, on behalf of the Galactic Alliance, let's have some fun, people! Lodestar Week is now present and accounted for!"

Having completed his job of informing the White Ghosts, XR motioned to his leader that the task was done. Nebula understood. And he came to the microphone, with Madame President moving aside again.

"With that, I order every Ranger to stand to attention! A-ten-hut!"

In perfect unison, a stampede of boots and heels stomped and clacked against the earth as every Ranger stood with vigor-large and small, scale and skin, young and old, male and female, now and forever.

Star Command saluted.

And as the camera pulled back to face Brent Starkisser again, he yelled over the White Ghosts' roars, "Well, folks, you saw it here LIVE! But don't go away, there's still plenty to do here and many things to see, so let's go to the streets and watch the skies and have some fun!"

* * *

She made a vow:

No longer would she allow any more victories to be given to the Rangers.

No longer would she leave room for errors to be made.

No longer would she settle for just one species to experiment on and manipulate and transform.

Not when she could receive aid to fix what was broken and rebuild her forces from the ground up, right from the ashes.

In time, she would return with a force much stronger than anything those Rangers could possibly have imagined.

She was ready to explore new options; hopefully this emperor Zurg, as he called himself, could provide her with the tools she needed to jumpstart her own empire back to its former glory.

Or what remained of it in the present moment anyway.

Lightyears passed, and turned into parsecs. Parsecs passed, and turned into eons.

The journey was long. Stars and suns and other celestial relatives all shot by her ship in a blur, seeming to blend and mix into too many colors for her to keep track of.

But soon-

The coordinates he gave her on the probe brought her to a clouded sphere within her line of sight. It was surrounded by three smaller spheres - moons.

She also saw storms, as seen by the continuous lightning strikes.

Technology in the red and purple.

The advanced tower could be seen from space!

But she barely had time to contact the stranger she was supposed to greet when she watched something move.

One of the spheres opened up thanks to a burst of energy sent from one of the purple sectors on the planet, splitting apart like an eggshell.

The auto defense moon.

From within its shells, small triangle-shaped purple ships sporadically flew to and fro, left and right, up and down. All left paths of greenish yellow lights.

She raised a brow.

This was how she would be welcomed?

She liked it.

He spared no expense in keeping his planet safe.

But very well then. She would say hello right back.

She turned to two of her Agents.

She smirked.

And for the first time during that whole flight since they left.. she spoke. "Ready two of my ships and blast these insects away!"


	6. Chapter 4: The Ghost Morning, Part Two

**Chapter Four: The Ghost Morning, Part Two**

* * *

The danger within was unknown to him.

Standing at the edge of the tower rooftop, low underneath its steel-plated horned crown and high above the smoke and smog floating from his factories, he waited in the wind as his cape rippled behind him. He steepled his fingers together in anticipation for her arrival. Every ten seconds, he would scan the skies, looking for a sign from the heavens that she was here.

But so far, all he could see was a red wave of lightning-painted cloud and Hornets buzzing here and there to their duties.

From somewhere he didn't know, a sense of heat coursed through his whole body, but the cause was not an overabundance of heat, smoke and progress rising from the factories down below.

The thought of working with another ruler, from another galaxy to boot, was all too intense for him to contain, but he had practice in keeping his excitement under control. He would not allow any one of his employees to see him display such emotion. Not when he had to be upfront and professional first when she would be arriving at any minute. Who knew how this new queen would react upon seeing him, his empire and business, and Planet Z?

Even if he learned a few things about his new pen pal in between all of those distances from his planet to hers, there was still a sense of mystery to her. Who she was in person, where she came from, what her galaxy was like, what kind of resources and technology she possessed to ensure her victories over her enemies and victims, what she liked to do in her spare time when she wasn't trying to conquer worlds and/or shatter innocent lives. He only received basic information on her. Not that he could fault that; there was only so much information one could put on a probe before sending it off into unknown territories and receiving it with new data from the other party when it returned.

It was strange, but the thought of contacting another royal person like himself felt odd to him.

On the one hand, it was refreshing to have someone like him come by for a visit to his lair, and as a bonus, it was someone who was possibly as drunk with power as he prided himself to be. The other citizens in the galaxy considered royalty either didn't want anything to do with him, were not as power-hungry as he, or they turned out to be vicious turncoats.

Not that there were that many royals to begin with. Outside of himself, and Ranger Nova's father, King Neptune Nova of Tangea, he could not think at the top of his head who else was a monarch. Everyone else was either a mayor, senator or president.

But on the other hand, he did not know what to expect out of this queen. What would she be like?

Would she yield to him? Hopefully, but he was more than willing to let her own voice her own say in their partnership as well, assuming he liked what she had to offer.

Would she stab him in the back for her own goals? The latter was admittedly an unfortunate consequence he had to consider. Those who worked on the evil end of the morality spectrum did not always get along with others of the malevolent kind. He had faced this unpleasant truth again and again with his own allies, like that miserable son of a bolide NOS-4-A2, that Star Command failure XL, or, the worst of them all, that evil lookalike of his most hated enemy.

Those three became reminders of his shortcomings over that significant detail. But hopefully the fourth time would be a charm.

Which was another reason why he had to remain absolutely calm and rational for her arrival. He didn't want to judge a charm by her appearance or attitude and toss her off of his planet too soon.

But he was still anxious on all fronts.

From what he did learn about the queen, she held quite the grip over her whole empire and that she could cut fierce deals with the lowest scum of her galaxy when the situation required her to. This tickled him pink, as these were commonalities they shared already even though they had not met face-to-face. If they got along swimmingly, then they could make their plans together, and no one, not even the great Buzz Lightyear, would be all the wiser. Yet the latter was of some concern to Zurg.

Although it was unlikely Lightyear would tear away from his beloved Lodestar Week, with so many of his adoring fans wanting to see him, and his own duties at Star Command keeping him occupied and unable to perform his usual heroics in stopping Zurg's evil plans, he was no fool. He built a nasty habit of following his Ranger instincts and quickly suspecting Zurg of anything sinister or out-of-place, whether it was kidnapping innocent politicians or leaving behind a ballpoint pen that could be used to turn on the Hyper Death Ray.

There was no doubt in Zurg's mind that Buzz and his crew quickly deduced that he was indirectly behind the diamond theft. And those four Rangers were some of the best, brightest and most determined he had ever seen come out of Star Command personnel. Assuming Madame President was feeling extremely generous and willing to let them off of her political leash, Team Lightyear - or rather Buzz - would probably try to find a way to talk themselves out of their Lodestar jobs to do their most important one.

And thus they'd ruin everything between him and his new lady friend, and blab out this meeting out for the whole galaxy to hear.

But he did realize -

Word of this meeting would have to get out eventually to the galactic open. He didn't know how, but sooner or later it would.

He didn't want it to just yet until all of the preparations have been made for his grand master plan and until he could be sure that things could go smoothly with another out-of-towner. And to make sure that she wouldn't pull a fast one on him. No one, no matter who they were, would get the drop on the Evil Emperor Zurg. Not now, not ever again, with what he had in mind to take over the galaxy and defeat Buzz Lightyear once and for all.

Then, and only then, could his greatest triumph occur.

* * *

He was about twenty thousand craters deep into his thoughts that he barely registered the opening of a creaky trapdoor behind him.

".. _.g_?"

...

"... _ur_ g?"

...

"Hey, Evil Emperor Zurg!"

He was jarred out of his thoughts and brought back to the surface. But he was not too pleased about it.

Whirling on his heel, he snapped, "What is it, Darkmatter?! Can't you see I'm trying to look for our guest?! This had _better_ be important." Over his shoulder, a small red glint was cast towards his agent.

Warp scoffed. "It is. I was going to tell you that everything's ready for Her Worship. The tapestry's hung, the floors are clean, and your laundry's been schlepped - uh, I mean - taken down to the laundry room."

"And you made sure that the Z buoys are turned off for her like I asked?"

"You got it. She'll have no problem crossing over into your space."

"Ah, excellent. This pleases me greatly, and if I am pleased, then our guest shall be impressed, which shall impress me...assuming everything goes according to plan in our first meeting." A small smirk could be seen by Warp. "And also assuming that my spies down on Capital Planet can keep themselves hidden from the view long enough to report on anything important from Star Command or the Galactic Alliance."

"You've heard from them recently then," Warp said.

"You're surprised?"

"Only at their speed. Usually it takes them about half of a solar cycle for them to relay anything useful they find during Lodestar Week back to here with all of those people around. So what did they find down there?"

"Nothing useful thus far, just that Lightyear and his gang have just taken part in the opening ceremony. The day's still young and new, so I will await patiently for any exciting news they can provide. We might have Star Command's secrets, but that's no reason to skip out on something new, exciting and informational as Lodestar Week. I mean just because I'm not _doing_ anything specifically evil today," he briefly said behind a confided hand to Warp, "or so Lightyear thinks", and just as quick he returned to the sky, "doesn't mean I can't do a little research on what's the latest from Star Command and prepare for my latest plot over the course of the week, now does it?"

"...Guess not. Personally, I would have preferred to gain the upper hand over Lightyear with the secrets I found and donated for an evil cause but that's just me. "

Zurg rolled his eyes. "Of course."

"But there's somethin' I don't understand. Just who _is_ this queen? You never told me her name."

"Wait... I _haven't_ told you?" Zurg raised some part of his helmet that resembled an eyebrow.

"No. So are you gonna spill or not?"

"Hm. Well, I suppose in all of the excitement, I got so carried away that it slipped my mind to reveal what her name is." He shook his head, and... to Warp's eerie surprise, he chuckled.

At his own mistake.

Before Warp could question on what was so hilarious, Zurg replied,"But I will tell you now. And when I tell you, you shall spread the word to everyone. Understand?"

The agent rolled his eyes before lifting his arm up. Activating his communicator, he asked, "Yeah, yeah, I'll play the role of errand boy like I always do. So what's her name?"

Zurg didn't say anything for a few minutes.

One more sharp glance at his agent over his shoulder.

"You can address her as Your Highness, Your Majestry, or as you so eloquently put it, Your Worship.

But as she _is_ the head of her own empire, she has a special... theme and name for it, including herself.

And it's this."

Then his glance was back to the horizon.

"She is the Queen of the - of the..." He couldn't finish his reply, for his eyes were swept away by a sight, the likes of which he never saw before in his entire lifespan. His fingers fell to his sides. His eye twitched.

"What did you say, Zurg?... uh... Zurg? Zurg?

Evil Emperor Zurg?"

Warp looked to see his employer frozen in place... something was up.

Deactivating his communicator, the agent lowered his arm, approached the emperor's side and waved a hand in front of his face. "What are you looking at? Hey, Zurg! What, the cat got your torus?"

Zurg took hold of Warp's chin and turned it to the sky.

And the latter's eyes widened. He gasped, "Sweet Mother of - !"

Before their eyes was a monster, its shadow looming half of the factories down below.

A black silhouette of the largest asteroid they ever saw came into view... and it _hung_ in the sky. Its bluish-black stalactites and stalagmites resembled that of a Crown, its jagged teeth growing from both under and over a radioactive red line glowing in the rock. A grand total of ten or eleven points could be counted. Neither party knew how large the asteroid measured in size, but one thing was certain: the _Dreadnought_ , and definitely Star Command's Star Cruisers, could not measure up to this naturally - or unnaturally - made piece of rock. It was no bigger than Planet Z, but large enough to leave a giant crater on the planet's surface should it lose its ability to float.

And surrounding the massive space rock were small sleek two-winged ships, their colors alternating between a blind white and a blood red.

They flew in circles around their asteroid home, some of them chasing after something... something recognizable known to Zurg.

He squinted to see what it was they were chasing.

Zurg let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. It was the only sound that could be heard within the whole facility.

One of those things they were chasing was many of his own seeker drones!

He was so stunned at the asteroid's sheer power that he barely registered the fact that many of his drones were dropping like flies on fire, their smoking carcasses crashing on the outskirts of his capital.

Warp looked to Zurg, trying to say something, anything.

But he couldn't.

And Zurg met Warp's eyes.

He couldn't say anything.

But neither had to, even if they shared questions.

The first to recover, Zurg pointed to the rooftop, and Warp immediately retreated back into the tower, going back through the same elevator he came up in.

Zurg followed behind, but not before casting one more look at the asteroid.

It must be her.

The Queen of the Crown.

* * *

 _The star voyager observed a very familiar attitude present in the Skywell Galaxy._

 _No citizen residing in it would have ever imagined that in this one lifetime or the next, their boundless universe stretched its hand, larger than that of their own speck of space frontier, teeming with other sentient forms from across the cosmic realities. Some have tried to argue that those unseen intelligences' own fountain of knowledge was greater than that of their own, out of fear of the unknown or disdain for their own less intelligent relations._

 _But from experience, and the eternal blackness of outer space, she also observed a galaxy so close and familiar and yet so far and foreign with its own planets and brands of attitudes, customs, and cultures. Sparks of life danced, each of them living and thriving._

 _And she left that dance to join Skywell's own, leaving behind a trail for those who saw an invisible maiden dancing in secret among them._

 _She saw the asteroid._

* * *

In another galaxy, far away from Skywell...

Many other planets went on with their own lives, aware yet unaware of what was happening outside of their homes.

One planet in particular stood out, for no celebratory event was held there.

A planet known for its green vegetation, bright waters and cloudy atmosphere.

And known for its special bureau of extra-terrestial affairs.

Hollowed into the mountainside, into the expansive spaces of an ancient and vast canyon, stood a modern base of invincible power and dedication, home to a company of unique individuals sworn to preserve law and order wherever lawlessness and chaos could be found. The central hub was located and built into a cliff that overlooked a beautiful and immense river, its serene blue skin flowing over terra skin. The river sparkled as it quietly flowed. The geometric building slanted this way and that with its walls and dark blue windows in contrast to the the natural red and yellow and beige rounded edges of the canyon. Pieces of steel architecture stacked over one another in a neat and organized manner, with a small circular hub built as the main front to see through its own window who flew in and out of the station. A launch pad for aerial and space craft floated underneath the hub to the far left and over a larger set of steel plates, welcoming all who entered the built-in hangars. A ladder was built nearby.

Up above the base was a clear and borderless sky, clear and blue. Clouds occasionally appeared over the canyon, slowly coming and going like the cooler wind they carried with them. The day shone with warmth, the sun's rays touching everything with heat and light. The wind bristled over a small clump of trees, the tree's roots clawing at the base of the mountain. The trees' sweet and citrus collective perfume could be detected from outside, and through the base's own humming air vents. It sometimes clashed with the smells of fuel and exhaust, and other signs of progress. Although it was rare to see them, various creatures could sometimes be spotted outside, performing jobs of the many kinds: inventory, repair, training, transportation.

Almost all of them wore the same symbolic colors for their uniform -

Blue for courage, white for protection, gold for justice.

But inside the building was where a majority of them resided.

Including three in particular, soon to be joined by four more.

In front of an empty desk, three human Rangers stood, talking to pass the time. The room they hung out in was a decorative office, its cooler hues of blue and orange and yellow as relaxing as the diverse aquatic creatures that quietly swam in the water outside of the large aquarium windows. Grey lines painted into the wall could be seen at various points: on the ceiling, on the floor, in the corners. A large and slim computer monitor hung attached to one of the windows.

Two of the Rangers were men, the third a woman.

"All I'm saying, my Gooseman, is that Princess Maya has her way of taking matters into her own hands! The way she and her father finally approached the League of Planets with their contributions was beautiful! And because of that, Tarkon will be more than happy to assist the Galaxy Rangers whenever we need them now that they've got their Master Computer back online."

The first of the three Rangers was a jovial spirit - Walter 'Doc' Hartford, whose grin was as wide as his sense of humor. With a wit acquired from the acclaimed Miss Abercrombie's Charm School, a sharp right hook honed through years with the Galaxy Rangers, his own brown eyes and suave mustache, he could have passed off as a twin brother of a charismatic smuggler-turned-general for a resistance movement against some tyrannical empire from some galaxy far, far away.

His uniform didn't deviate from the atypical uniform worn by other Galaxy Rangers, with parts of his uniform like his collar, shoulders, chest, waist, gloves, thighs and boots dyed white, and the rest of his uniform like his arms and legs dyed blue, had a few individual touches added to his personal preference - one elbow-length glove on the one hand and one normal glove on the other. Wrapped around his waist was a silver belt with a gun holster. There was only one indication of the color gold and that was through the official Galaxy Rangers badge pinned on his uniform - a five-pointed star inside a circle.

"And what I'm saying, Doc, is that they're the right people for the job, but their timing's a little off. We haven't heard a peep out of the Queen for weeks now. It doesn't feel right. What do you think, Niko?"

The second of the three Rangers was a serious spirit - Shane 'The Goose' Gooseman, who had a forest green-eyed gaze that could pierce through metal. Tall in height, blond in hair, and a man of few words, he was also an expert marksman - give him a blaster and he could show a skeptic why he was the fastest shot on the Series-Five team. But he was not only quick with his shots; he was also quick on his feet thanks to his daily drills at the Wolf Den training ground and his time with his friends, the Galaxy Rangers. His uniform was like Doc's, only he had a white bandanna tied around his neck, and his collar was open. He also had armor on his legs and boots.

"We should see what Commander Walsh has to say about the matter as soon as he and Zach come back from their meeting. Just because we haven't heard any reports doesn't mean she has disappeared forever. If she did, we would have heard about it."

The third of the three Rangers was a blithe spirit - Niko Kira, her blue-green eyes light and calm as the air around her. Her long hair trailed down to her back in an auburn cascade. The only female of the team, she was well-versed in the fields of archaeology, diplomacy, warmth, and her inborn psychic powers. Raised on the planet Xanadu by her teacher and mentor, Ariel, she honed her skills before leaving her planet to attend the Galaxy Ranger Academy and being accepted into her current team. Her uniform differed the most from her teammates' uniforms - she wore a silver thermal suit with blue accents on her shoulders, arms and boots, and wore no gloves. Her badge was attached to her belt.

"Well, she's bound to turn up sooner or later. You know how much she loves to hide in the dark until she comes up with another master plan to spread her power and kidnap more humans for her experiments," Doc pointed out.

"And when she does, we'll be ready," Niko assured.

The door to the room opened, creating a swishing sound as the mechanical doors parted to reveal not one, not two, but four individuals.

The Rangers stood to attention as both of their superiors entered.

The first leader to enter was the Captain for their team - he was a soldier and father of two children by the name of Zachary 'Zach' Foxx. The intensity in his ceil blue eyes could be seen from a mile away. He had brown hair and was tall, almost nearing Shane's height. His uniform almost matched Doc's to a T, except that he wore white armor on his legs and boots. He marched in with fists clenched by his side, and was walking alongside his leader, Commander Joseph Walsh.

Walsh was shorter than Zach by a few inches, but like his fellow Galaxy Ranger, he held a stern air about him. Stern but proud, despite his age showing through his grey temples in his own brown hair. Besides his hazel eyes, the other unique facial distinguishing feature he possessed was a brown handlebar mustache, in which both tips of it fell to his chin. His uniform was equally eye-catching, if only through the smaller details - the green and white service bars patches near his heart sewed into his uniform, a design of a golden eight-pointed star inside of a shield on his left shoulder and a design of three golden bars on his right shoulder. He marched up to the desk in his brown boots.

"Commander. Captain," Shane acknowledged.

Walsh ordered, "At ease, Rangers."

They did. And Niko looked past Zach and Walsh to notice two other individuals. "Hello, Waldo, Zozo."

Behind him and Zach, two alien life forms appeared, both a pair of polar opposites. The dignified taller of the two, Waldo Zeptic's height exceeded over his comrade's, and the humans in the room for that matter. White hair flowed from his temples and back of his spotted head to his tanned chin and down to his white caped shoulders. On both sides of his nose was an Andorian mustache, characteristic of his species' facial makeup. Hidden underneath his sharp eyebrows were a pair of bright green eyes, calm and studious. "Greetings, my friends."

By contrast, Zozo was smaller in height than everyone else, but he made up for it with his large happy-go-lucky attitude, which was how the average Kiwi normally behaved. With his large almond-like eyes twinkling, his short brown hair messy, his large bat-like and purple-skinned ears standing erect, and his perpetual smile shown for all to see, he happily bounced after his friend. His simple yellow jacket seemed too big for him to fit into, but he made do with it. He waved at the Rangers. "Hello, everyone."

They looked out of place among the paramilitary members, but it only took a few seconds of talking with the two to understand why they were here. Serving as the ambassadors to their respective planets, Andor and Kirwane, they were responsible for bringing construction plans for a hyperdrive device, courtesy of the Andorians, to mankind in exchange for help and protection against the most dangerous forces, such as the Queen of the Crown and other villains. In response, it opened up new doors for interstellar travel for humans and the establishment of colonies across the galaxy in many of the existing star-systems.

It also allowed the creation of the Bureau for Extra-Terrestrial Affairs, or BETA, for short. And serving as a leading force in exploration and means of defense for the organization was the Galaxy Ranger division. Wherever there was trouble or danger brewing, they would be there to handle it if other divisions couldn't. And Waldo and Zozo, due to their befriending Zach and his family, would travel with him and his team whenever they could to assist them in any which way they could.

Which was why they were in the current room now. It was Walsh's office, and he had a mission for them. And right away, the commander got down to business.

"Now that we are all present and accounted for, let us turn our attention to your two assignments." He came over to his desk, sat down in his chair and pressed a button on his computer console. One press and it activated the large screen. Everyone cast their eyes towards the screen and immediately, an image flashed to life. But it left the Rangers and ambassadors puzzled.

"Whoa. Commander, what in the galaxy is _that_?"

'That' turned out to be a blurred image of a bright yellow orb of light floating in the night sky over a forest of homes. But then the image came to life, computer footage of the mysterious spark showing the erratic and speedy movements of the orb. It would zoom this way and that, trying to evade prying eyes. More images rolled through, showing the orb in different environments repeating its journey - cities, domes, towns, farms, fields, even areas completely devoid of life.

" _That_ , Doc, is one of your assignments.

Reports from all over the galaxy keep coming into BETA. As far as Crescentia and Tarkon, and as close by as Orbit City, all of them have one thing in common - an unidentified flying object has been seen moving over the course of a few months from planet to planet. We need to know what it is and why it's here. But until the answers have been found, we've put the people of Earth and other planets on high alert."

"A UFO. Yes, that is very unusual," Shane remarked dryly.

Niko asked, "Has this UFO tried to attack anyone?"

"No, not as far as anyone has reported. According to one eyewitness' account, all it seemed to do was pass over their home before disappearing into thin air, and has then repeated its process every night here on Earth this month. Because of its behavior, no one has been successful or quick enough to capture it or chase it to see what it truly is or its reasons for being here. But the League of Planets and the World Federation are both deeply concerned about this object posing as a possible threat to the galaxy, and wants us to find it as soon as possible."

For the former, Walsh was referring to the defense line against the Imperial Crown and composed of many planets, including Andor, Kirwane, Tarkon, Crescentia and Earth. For the latter, he was referring to the ruling board of leaders composed of every leader on Earth. Both held equally important connections to BETA, as Waldo was partly responsible for forming the League of Planets, and when BETA was formed, the World Federation was created as a result.

"You mean to tell me no one's come up to it to simply say hello? How rude," Doc joked.

Ignoring Hartford's wisecrack, Walsh continued, "But as of last night, it did something drastically different. One of our ships was on patrol last night and spotted the UFO flying out of Earth's orbit. It disappeared before they could discover where it was going, but they did observe that it was heading in a new direction."

Another press of a button on his console and the slideshow disappeared. In its place was a static map of the Earth and the surrounding systems in space. The orb was represented as a yellow dot on the map. Every few minutes, it would blip in and out of existence as it seemingly moved up the map, indicating its flight path and direction.

"Past the Hydra System and beyond, and it doesn't seem to be stopping any time soon. Our allies have been watching its flight path, and have provided us with a theory on its destination. It might be heading straight for the Eureka System. And that's where you will be going, Rangers." He eyed Zachary, a knowing frown forming. "Is that clear, Captain?"

Zach, who had been unusually quiet all throughout this debriefing, nodded.

...

Noting his leader's silence, Doc asked, "Are you okay, sir? You haven't said a word since you got here."

Zach looked over to his team before averting his eyes and he finally said one word. "Eliza."

Instantly it clicked for them.

Niko gently asked, "You visited her? Before you came here?"

"Yes. No change. Her body is still held in the cryocrypt, and her mind and spirit with..."

He tightened one of his hands into a fist as thoughts about the one responsible for taking his wife away from him and his children lurked within his own mind like a ghost.

"We know, chief. The Queen of the Crown," Shane grimly replied.

"And the further she slips away, so does Eliza. It's getting harder to keep on hoping that she'll be freed one day." His eyes hardened as he looked towards the blue waters outside, watching the carefree sea life smoothly going about their business.

...

"But I swore I would find her psychocrystal and bring her soul back. No matter how long it takes." He was saying that more to himself than anyone else in the room.

Things froze in space, and no one, out of respect for Zach, dared to unfreeze them.

But Zach turned back to his commander, the by-the-book soldier back in his place, and the tense air thawing.

"Commander, may I assume that there's more to this mission than tracking down some foo fighter into the reaches of space?"

"...You may assume right. The other part of your mission is to track the Queen down. We don't know why, but her palace has disappeared and we need to find out where."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute here. A whole _asteroid_ palace disappearing into the inky black depths of space? That doesn't sound remotely possible!" Doc remarked with a touch of exaggerated shock. His teammates shared the same feeling, especially Zach.

"I know. But that's why we haven't received any reports of activity from her for the past few weeks," Walsh explained. "Not even anything from Tortuna."

Shane asked, "Not even a word from one of her favorite lackeys, Captain Kidd?"

"No. We did recently question him when he was seen passing by Tortuna, but even he has no idea where or why she disappeared."

A displeased Zach commented, "That's disappointing. I thought he would have given us a solid lead."

"So did I. But while we may not know how she achieved such a feat, we did pick up on what we believe to be a trace of her trail left behind by her fleet.

"One of the representatives of the Imperial Star Marines has agreed to meet with you on the planet known as New Texas. She'll be waiting for you in the town of Fort Kerium, along with a friend of hers who happens to be in law enforcement as well."

"The Imperial Star Marines?" Zozo asked, tilting his head in confusion. Like a child, he looked up to Waldo for the answers.

And he didn't disappoint. "They are a military special forces unit, trained to conduct unconventional operations such as tracking down space pirates, fighting hostile life forms, developing defense systems, and performing reconnaissance missions. I met one of their commanders before."

"They sound what the Supertroopers could have been if it weren't for that incident at Wolf Den," Shane dryly observed.

"Except that they have been in service before the Supertroopers were thought of," Walsh corrected, not surprised by Shane's comparison. "And they aren't normally stationed on Earth. They work in the remotest parts of the Eureka System where the law needs an extra push to tame the system's edges."

"That's nice to know."

As tempted as Walsh was to reprimand Goose for his dry - and unneeded - commentary, he knew it wouldn't do any good.

The former Supertrooper was stubborn, which seemed to be a trait inherent in all enhanced soldiers born from test tubes. But at least Goose, unlike the other genetic experiments gone wrong thanks to a certain senator coming in and destroying the governmental experiment, was reasonable and knew how to dial back his more negative traits most of the time. But with the exception of Waldo and Zozo, and a selected other few members standing high on the political ladder, Shane wasn't always eager to put his trust in governmental officials.

Not that Walsh himself could always trust them either, especially the ever irresponsible Senator Wheiner.

"The League of Planets and that system's own government, the Galaxy Council, have started to touch base, so they have already granted you permission to travel through to New Texas and past the Eureka System's borders without interference."

Niko had a thoughtful hand to her chin. "Then... it's likely that we'll see the UFO there while we meet with the Star Marine if that's where it's going?"

"Yes."

Doc whistled. "Well, if that UFO is planning to make a pit stop on that planet, those people better be prepared to set up the welcome wagon."

"As should all of you," Walsh advised. "So I want you to prepare yourselves for what may be a long journey ahead. New Texas is about six hundred parsecs away from our solar system, so you should know that I recently had _Ranger One_ equipped with your own charging stations for your implants to make the task easier. _Ranger One_ has also been equipped with an extra set of weapons and other supplies to use. But take what else you may need and charge your Series-Five implants before you go. Find out anything you can about the Queen and that UFO, and stop them by any means necessary."

"I will be accompanying you. I want to learn what the Star Marines have discovered about the Queen," Waldo declared.

"As do I," Zozo seconded. "Perhaps by the time we arrive, the people will have information on that UFO to give to us."

"We might have to go beyond New Texas, though, if the Queen, or that UFO, are nowhere to be found there. Are you two sure you're up for the voyage?"

Waldo regarded Zach as though he lost his mind. "But of course, Captain! She is our concern as well... and so is Eliza," he trailed off softly.

"You know how much she means to us, as do you and your children. Wherever you go, we go with you."

"But what about your family, Zozo?"

"They'll understand," Zozo insisted. "I'll contact them and explain our situation. You know how much they've been wanting to meet her, and I can't disappoint them." His eyes began watering.

And so would have Zach's had he been a completely sentimental human. How could he be when his whole career depended on him to keep up a strong front for his team, his friends, his fellow Rangers, and for innocent citizens?

But he was grateful nonetheless. Speaking quietly, he replied, "Thank you."

With that, he took a deep breath, straightened up and ordered his team, "Galaxy Rangers, ho!"

Walsh watched each of them file out.

First Zozo (as soon as his eyes dried up), then Waldo, then Niko, then Doc, then Shane.

"Captain..."

The last one to leave the room, Zach turned to face Walsh.

"Good luck."

Zach nodded his thanks and then left.

Time to try again to save his wife from certain death. And this time would be different.

He swore it would be, and although they couldn't explain why that was, his team knew it too.

* * *

The Rangers left Walsh's office and proceeded onto the charge chamber via a small elevator while Waldo and Zozo went ahead to meet them at their ships. The elevator brought the Ranger team to a chrome-plated chamber where four blue charging pads awaited them on four-pronged platforms. From there, they split up, walked to their own charging stations and stood in place. The chamber instantly came to life.

From up above their stations, five beams of bioelectrical energy channeled through single rays and surrounded the Rangers in five-pointed cages from top to bottom. From within the cages, white sparks of energy danced as the power surged into everyone's bodies. Their badges and implants built up incredible charges as a side effect of the energy exciting their cells and micro-circuitries.

And thanks to modern advances in technology, their brain implants took only thirteen seconds to charge, which were as fantastical as the implants themselves.

When Zach's team first came together, they were the first group of Galaxy Rangers to receive the Series-Five, or S5, implants. When triggered by a press or tap of their badges, the implants would amplify everyone's own unique abilities to aid them in any situation for a certain length of time.

For instance, whenever she tapped her badge, Niko's psychic powers would be enhanced, giving her the ability to look into the distant past and future for information when she came into physical contact with an object or person. She could also lift objects of considerable weight and size into the air, construct energy shields to protect herself and her friends, and even communicate with others through the mind, if only for a limited time.

Likewise, the computer wizard Doc used his badge as a tool, connecting his natural logic and knack with technology to call forth special and near-spectral programs called 'tweakers', flying holographic and geometric shapes, from his small Computer Diagnostic Unit, or CDU. When summoned, they could be used to accomplish anything, whether it was hacking into a security system, gathering classified information from the system, or healing it from a virus.

But Shane's differed greatly from the others. Due to his origins, he already developed an innate set of bio-defenses, but when his badge glowed brightly, the implant could supercharge them and gift him near invulnerability, instant healing and the ability to shape-shift his body to adapt to his environmental conditions and situations. Thus, he could become a man of metal or a creature of a lagoon if he was surrounded by the right type of environment.

But he was not the only one with an implant that could energize parts of his body.

Due to an incident that almost took Zach's life away, almost all of the left side of his body was replaced with bionic parts. As a result, the implant was directly linked to his left arm and leg. And when triggered, it could act as a power conduit to his arm and allow him to build up an incredible amount of bio-electricial energy, and unleash it through a series of intense energy blasts. It could also grant him an extra boost of strength when he has enough charge, making him capable of blasting a wall down, spot-weld metal and circuitry, and even punch through a ship's side.

The thirteen seconds ended, and the chamber shut down.

The Rangers came back together, three out of the four glancing at one.

"Are you ready, team?"

"Standing by for action when you are, Captain," Shane answered for all. "This might be a long trip, but I'm looking forward to a change in scenery. Things have been getting dull around here, anyway."

"What, you don't call that incident on Tarkon exciting? Goose, I'm surprised at you!" Doc admonished playfully.

"The excitement's worn off," Shane shrugged. "Besides, the excitement's bound to be wherever the Queen goes. She'll make a mistake and we'll catch her in the act. She can't run forever."

Zach smirked a little, Shane's courage and determination infectious. He knew what Shane was really trying to say, and he appreciated it.

"Better than a mysterious UFO?"

"Much better than some useless weather balloon."

Quiet amusement was shared among the four. And now that the Rangers were all set and supercharged, they left the chamber together.

* * *

Taking a skycar into the depths of BETA, they made their way to the blue and expansive launch bay to which the _Ranger One,_ and its smaller companion _,_ the _Ranger_ _Interceptor_ were stored, waiting for another flight into space as they devoured their fuel source thanks to a small refueling group of humans currently tending to this need.

The larger star cruiser of the two, _Ranger One_ was sleek, streamlined in blue and white, appearing analogous to a cross between a jet airplane and space shuttle - fast, maneuverable and durable despite its somewhat mismatched parts - a bulky and short wing span and a long and slim nose. Its smaller partner was Shane's personal ship, courtesy of his status as a Supertrooper hunter. Although seemingly vulnerable in size, and appearing odd with its long nose and shorter wingspan, it made up for with its speed and could have resembled a x-shaped fighter had its wings been spread into that shape.

Once they met up with Zozo and Waldo, all of the Rangers boarded their ships once they were done being cared for by the mechanics and technicians.

Or at least, they were about to when three unexpected guests dropped by.

"Dad! Dad, wait!"

The team turned to see two familiar kids and another adult coming towards them.

Zach's eyes softened. "Jessica? Zachary?"

The aforementioned children didn't resemble their father - or mother for that matter - too much. They both were blonde in hair color while their father and mother possessed brown and red hair. But that was where the physical differences ended. Jessica, the preteen of the Foxx family had her father's eyes, dressed in a bright pink suit and held a passion for science. Zachary Jr., a teenager and the eldest Foxx child, also possessed blue eyes, dressed in a neutral beige with orange accents and he had the makings and determination to become a Galaxy Ranger like his parents before him.

As his children came up to him, he regarded the adult who accompanied them. "Q-Ball?"

Although BETA's top scientist was known for having a very dry sense of humor and a drier personality, even Q-Ball had enough humanity to understand emotional needs. "Your kids wanted to come and say goodbye to you and your team, Captain. We just found out about your latest mission; you and your team are heading to the Eureka System."

"That's right, Dad. We wanted to come and wish you and your team good luck. We know you'll find the Queen and bring Mom back!" Zachary bravely declared with great faith and confidence in his father, his father's leadership, and the team... but just like any son about to watch his father go off to battle, he crumbled and gave him a great big hug, much to the elder Zach's surprise.

But it was a surprise he welcomed. He put a hand on his son's shoulder and held him close.

Jessica hugged her beloved father tightly, tears streaming down her face. She was unable to say a word, but she did nod in agreement with her older brother. Her dad didn't need to ask what she was feeling; he simply held her close.

The Rangers, Waldo and Zoo lingered behind, watching the tender scene.

No one uttered a word, letting the Foxx family have their moment.

And although Zach didn't want to break that moment, he knew it was necessary. He gently pulled himself free and placed both hands around his children. His young and hopeful children. "And I'm glad I got a chance to say goodbye to you two before I left. I'll bring her back home where she belongs."

 _"...Somehow,"_ he thought.

But twisted doubts clouded his mind. Could he really believe it?

Could he really believe he would succeed?

...Of course he could!

He had to. For his own sake and for his family's.

No matter how difficult what the odds.

"We know you will, Dad. We believe. Right, sis?"

Although she was still shedding tears over the emotional affairs at hand, she nodded vigorously. "We do, Zach. Please be careful, Dad."

They both received a squeeze on the shoulder from their father.

"I will, honey. I will." He gently smiled at them, looking at them one more time before he had to leave.

And Q-Ball stood behind the children, placing his hands on their shoulders. "I'll watch over them, Captain."

"I know you will. And thanks." Zach closed his eyes, took a deep breath and, although reluctantly... he pulled away from his children and began heading inside the ship. His teammates watched before they too followed after him.

But he didn't quite make it inside _Ranger One_.

He looked over at his family, his two children staring into his eyes... and gave a small wave, to which they reciprocated.

And then he went inside, with the team splitting off to board their ships.

* * *

After recovering from his emotional turmoil with his family, Zach settled into his hefty seat in the black-surfaced cockpit and proceeded to start _Ranger One_ up. Niko sat in the co-pilot's seat next to Zach's. All around the two of them, lights flashed to life all over the large computer systems - massive and bulky pieces of Galaxy Ranger equipment that appeared more at home in an ancient mid-century science laboratory than a ship.

Meanwhile, Doc, Waldo and Zozo planted themselves in the engine and computer room of the ship, the equally expansive systems humming and brimming with light.

Meanwhile, Shane hopped into the _Ranger Interceptor._

Zachary reported to BETA's own Mission Control through the speaker system, "This is _Ranger One_. All launch codes are green." He fastened his seatbelt.

Niko pressed a button, toggled a switch above her head and told Zach, "Launch sequence activated." She fastened her seatbelt.

While _Ranger One_ was preparing to take off, Shane was already powering up his ship. "All set, Alma?"

The AI, or Alma, appeared on his computer screen. The large purple eyeball-like AI looked directly at him and reported in a sultry female tone, " _All systems ready,_ _Goose_."

Smiling, Shane said, "Okay, Alma, let's do it." He informed Mission Control, " _Ranger Interceptor_ is go." And he pushed forth a handle, firing up the thrusters. He shot off down the launch pad, down a long and dark corridor and finally reached the exit. His ship met sunlight as it ascended higher and higher and farther away from BETA.

And _Ranger One_ wasn't too far behind. Niko reported, " _Ranger One_ is ready." And the ship's own AI, a polite blue and green eyeball-shaped AI named GV, also stated that 'he' was ready to fly.

Following suit after Goose, the ship's thrusters burst and the ship took off in a speedy manner before it finally reached outside and shot off outside.

The two ships left light blue trails behind them as they climbed higher and higher into the sky, passing by clouds and blue before breaking the horizon between earth sky and outer space. A bone-shaped and white space station came into their range of sight as it orbited the planet. It was BETA's own orbital space station, wishing them luck.

As they soared, Zach looked out the window, sorely tempted to look out and see the Earth behind him. But he resisted.

Not that he could have done so anyway; he had a job to do and he had to keep his eyes forwards, not backwards.

And so, he and his team soared into the wild black yonder.

And the journey began.

* * *

"By the great cosmos... I can hardly believe she's here in person!...in a manner of speaking. But are you sure you've informed her that we welcome her to Planet Z?"

"Yes."

"And that we are deeply sorry for forgetting to deactivate the auto defense moon?"

"YES."

" _And_ that everything is prepared for her arrival just like I ordered?"

"For Jupiter's sake, will you relax?! I already told you that the rooms are clean, the tapestry's hung, and the laundry's been schlepped down to the laundry room! Craters, first you're calm and now you're frantic! What's gotten into you, Big Z?"

"Butterflies in my stomach, of course! I was anticipating her making a flashy entrance, but I didn't think it'd be so quite bombastic!... in both senses of the word." He sighed. "Look, just whatever you do, don't do anything foolish while we're getting to know one another."

"I know that, but I don't think it's me you have to worry about," Warp pointed out. And he pointed towards Zurg's lowly workers - many frantic Grubs and Brain Pods scurried around the base.

And for good reason; the noise outside wasn't dying down. At least, the large asteroid ship outside wasn't. The armada of ships soaring through the air thankfully came to a halt once all of the drones were dismantled into nothing. It was also thanks to Warp's quick thinking once he got word to the giant floating asteroid ship thing floating outside that the fighting stopped.

But why she wanted to shoot them down, other than possibly feeling taken aback by the seeker drones from the auto defense moon, was a mystery. One that they would eventually find out once they met the Queen of the Crown.

But now Zurg and Warp were faced with the new task of not only making a good impression on the Queen, but they were also forced to quickly snap these worms into shape in nanoseconds before she took one step into the palace.

Zurg just stared at everyone running around and regarded them as though he was seeing them in action for the first time.

Oddly enough, seeing his top agent blatantly bring up this point of fact served to calm the emperor down. He took one look at them all and took a deep breath.

In all his years of service to Zurg, Warp was sure he never saw his boss take a deep breath before. Just like how he was sure that he never saw Zurg calmly walk over to a wall, press a button to reveal a keypad, type in a code of some sorts, watch as a secret compartment within the wall opened up, and pull out a small object.

"You'd better cover your ears, Darkmatter. This is going to be very loud for a brief moment."

With one quick swipe with his hand to clean its mouthpiece, Zurg gave a great big gasp and somehow managed to blow into the metal pea whistle he held in his hand. Instantly, the shrill piercing of the whistle's song immobilized everyone in their tracks like mannequins.

Thankfully, Warp's hearing was secured during the duration of the torture. As he watched Zurg put the whistle away back into the secret compartment, he eyed his emperor confusingly.

Zurg took notice. Raising a brow, he shrugged and replied, "Emergency situation. And this is an emergency." He didn't wait for Darkmatter to reply, for he whipped around and roared, "Alright, listen up and listen GOOD! The Queen's going to be coming through the palace at any moment, so unless you want to be tossed into the Pits of Pain and Panic, then get to your posts this INSTANT! NOW LET'S **GO**!"

The second he finished that order, and after taking seconds before to recover their senses, the Brain Pods and Grubs rushed to their posts - be they located in engineering, science, robotics, wherever their talents and skills were needed.

"And we should be on our way as well, my agent. And quickly! Let us wait in the launch bay for her arrival."

* * *

Initially, the 'Brain Pod' continued to lurk through the palace, hugging the hallway walls and corners like a spider. He would only interact when he was caught by the eyes of other Brain Pods, Grubs and Hornets. But luckily, thanks to his own skills in fear, trickery and unnatural forces, he sent them away with none the wiser.

Frightened, yes. Injured or dead? Possibly. But none the wiser.

Past advanced pieces of technology, various corridors and rooms, and mundane symbols of living did he slink past, his wheels rolling down the metal floors in a smooth and steady manner. Occasionally he would hear noises coming from the workers who toiled in this place, and noises like the beating of metallic hearts from within the machines, but he paid little attention to his surroundings.

He had his eyes set straight forward trying to find the evil emperor who could surely give him what he wanted - no, _needed_. Or at the very least, provide aid in obtaining it. And nothing was going to stand in his way.

Nothing that was... except a past acquaintance.

He was making excellent progress in navigating his way around the palace when he suddenly had to skid on his wheels.

A Grub was screaming as though it were a headless chicken. And he yelled, "We're under attack, we're under attack!" And he grabbed the 'Brain Pod' and shook his arm. "Well don't just stand there, do something!"

The 'Brain Pod' tilted his head and grunted.

The Grub let out an exasperated growl as he elaborated, "A giant floating crown asteroid! Ships destroying our drones! IT'S GONNA CRASH INTO US!" And the Grub took off in a rush before the 'Brain Pod' had said anything.

Not that he needed to.

"Asteroid..."

He rolled on down the halls, picking up speed to investigate this newfound distraction.

* * *

They hurried down the halls, rushing as quickly as they could to the launch bay to welcome their guest. Their thundering footsteps echoed down metal and architecture.

While they raced, Warp asked over breaths, "So uh, before we officially meet this queen, is there any last minute detail I should know about so that the Grubs won't accidentally screw things for you?"

Zurg panted, "And so that you know for your own record? Just that she will have a unique work force of her own - her own bodyguards and workers. Oh, and whatever you do, don't stare at them. Their appearances are a little...unsettling to say the least. So don't be alarmed by their appearance."

Warp snorted. "Oh yeah? Well, what's so horrifying about them? Are they shaped like playing cards or something?"

"Eeeh, wrong, Alice! True, they aren't like the Hornets or the Grubs, but regardless, they are one of her most important assets and reasons why she's her galaxy's Most Wanted Villainess. From what she told me, and from how I could describe them, they are shaped like... like... like the Ghosts of Holiday Past."

By this time, the emperor and the agent neared the launch bay. Or one of many launch bays.

Dark 'Z' emblems were branded high above the wide bay thresholds, with numbers painted underneath to differentiate between them all. Bay 'two' was where their guest would be parking their ship... whatever shape it took.

"How - ?"

"You'll find out in due time! Besides, I think it'd do you some good just to let her explain herself. She can explain her methods more clearly than I could put into words. Hush now...

"I hear a ship approaching," Zurg urged over the whirring of ship engines.

With a quick whip of a pointed claw, he silently motioned his Grubs to open the bay doors to welcome in the Queen of the Crown. Once the Grub got the hint, he went about following Zurg's order.

Zurg rubbed his hands in anticipation.

Time to make history.

* * *

It was time to meet the emperor and his henchman.

As soon as the Queen received word from the henchman known as Warp Darkmatter, she called off the attack and ordered her Crown followers to return back to base. She would make amends to Zurg over the misunderstanding, but that would not mean she would be easygoing about it. She would make her mark and draw a line over the emperor's actions.

And it would start as soon as she introduced herself to the emperor in question.

Assisted by her own followers, she ordered a small ship to be ready to take her down to the land below.

She descended down from her kingdom in the heavens to witness all that this Planet Z had to offer - a hellish land of robots, smok,e and progress.

She spotted the launch bay that Darkmatter instructed her to meet his employer.

She landed.

With a hiss, the ship's doors opened.

And there he was, with whom she presumed Darkmatter standing by his side. The fact that the tall horned ruler adorned with royals purples and reds towered over his henchman was a strong indicator that he was the Emperor Zurg she sought out.

And there she was.

Stepping out from the ship's darkness, she marched out of her ship, her steps banging against metal, and into the light of the launch bay.

A beautiful humanoid, at least by villainous standards, the Queen of the Crown resembled a true noble queen of malevolence indeed. A three-pointed crown sat on top of her black cloaked head, which matched her pasty purple complexion to a T (and to which Zurg secretly adored). Her lifeless black eyes were like a cat's - they could pierce through the most innocent of souls with her deadly gaze. Her blood red cloak covered a purple-blackish jumpsuit and boots she wore underneath, with the cloak's high collar hiding her skinny neck. On some parts of her cloak, bluish-purple and pink points could be spotted in the garment's design. She stood at about medium height, but if she were to stand next to Zurg and Darkmatter, she would appear smaller by comparison.

Nonetheless, she was a poisonous figure who could strike at any moment.

And she wasn't alone.

Two taller figures cloaked in white stood - no, floated - next to her. They slightly resembled ancient warrior priests of the past, with their cloaks covering their faces and bodies. Golden headbands clutched tightly around their heads and above their faces. Black belts hung around their large roomy waists.

But... their faces seemed a little too well hidden. It was as if they had no faces at all!

Darkmatter almost made the mistake of staring at the mysterious phantoms. But either through dumb luck or his own senses, he caught himself and he succeeded in returning his attention to the woman in charge. She wasn't at all what he had expected; she looked like she could have been at home either ruling a galaxy or some enchanted kingdom in a fairy tale.

The other workers, however, were foolish enough to drop their jaws or widen their eyes. But a rugged clear of Zurg's throat had them snap to attention and return their focus to the elegant queen before them.

For some time, no one said anything as the two parties were busy looking over one another, eyeing each other, inspecting.

Seeing the queen for the first time caused a chill to surge up Zurg's spine - he could feel a... mystique behind this woman's power.

Seeing the emperor for the first time caused a tinge of excitement to spark the Queen's imagination - she could feel something... dangerous and foreboding behind this creature's power.

Soon -

"It is an honor to meet you, your royal highness. Welcome to Planet Z. And may I apologize once more for our actions? It shall never happen again," Zurg promised with a small bow.

The Queen smirked, both amused and flattered. But mostly amused. "I accept your apology. And thank you for your graciousness, my evil emperor. I am likewise honored to meet you."

Time to make history.


End file.
